Photo of Ernest Shackleton
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Public domain image from NOAA photo library
Ernest Shackleton
Ernest Shackleton was a famous explorer of Antarctica. He was from Ireland, but spent much of his life on the seas.
In 1907-1909, Shackleton led his own trip called the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole. The explorers almost made it to the South Pole, but had to turn back because the weather got so bad and they didn't have enough food. They were the first men to locate the Magnetic South Pole. Shackleton returned to England a hero.
Shackleton's most famous trip to Antarctica was the Endurance Expedition in 1914-1916. The group tried to cross Antarctica by way of the Pole. Halfway through their trip their ship was trapped by the ice. Shackleton and five other men crossed 800 miles of dangerous seas in a small boat and reach the whaling station on South Georgia island. There Shackleton organized a rescue trip to bring home the rest of the men.
Shackleton died in 1922 during another Antarctic trip. He was buried on South Georgia island near Antarctica.
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