December 5, 1914 Shackleton Expedition
In an alternate history, the June 1914 assassination of the heir-apparent to the Habsburg Empire could have led to nothing more than a regional squabble. A policing action in the Balkans. As it was, mutual distrust and entangling alliances drew the Great Powers of Europe into the vortex. On August 3, the “War to End Wars” exploded across the European continent.
The period has been called the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration”. As the diplomatic wrangling, mobilizations and counter-mobilizations of the “period preparatory to war” unfolded, Sir Ernest Shackleton made final arrangements for his third expedition into the Antarctic. Despite the outbreak of war, first Lord of the Admiralty Sir Winston Churchill ordered Shackleton to Procee… Continue Reading (3 minute read)
“For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.” -Sir Raymond Priestly, Antarctic Explorer and Geologist.
The book *South* is the collected journal entries of Shackleton made throughout the entire *Endurance* expedition. It also contains the journals of the also ill-fated Ross Sea Party that was to lay in supplies for the *Endurance* crew.
It’s an absolutely gripping read in the original words of the man who lived it.
But everyone says the war will be over by Christmas.
In related news. The US has sent soldiers to fight in Afghanistan that weren’t born when the current set of wars started.
Alfred Lansing’s Endurance is a must read if you want to learn about how badass Shakelton was.
That Shackleton expedition deserves more details. They got stranded in the Weddel Sea, trekked it across the ice sea all the way up to Drake’s passage, then crossed Drake’s passage in the dinghy they carried along, made it to South America, got rescued and literally no one died.
Someone was listening to Dan Carlin