Background: After the race to the South Pole ended in 1912 with Roald Amundsen’s conquest, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton (1874–1922) turned his attention to what he said was the one remaining great object of Antarctic journeying—the crossing of the continent from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–17. Disaster struck this expedition when its ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed.

For more information about this remarkable man and his achievements, I highly recommend Alfred Lansing ‘s brilliant account, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.

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A written transcript will be available by November 16.