Elizabeth Leane: The dangerous race for the South Pole

The dangerous race for the South Pole

By the early 1900's, nearly every region of the globe had been visited and mapped, with only two key locations left: the North and South Poles. After two Americans staked claim to reaching the North Pole, a Norwegian explorer and a British naval officer each set out for the last unmapped region in what newspapers called a "Race to the Pole." Elizabeth Leane sets the scene for their journeys south. [Directed by WOW-HOW Studio, narrated by Bethany Cutmore-Scott, music by Stephen LaRosa]. 

At the dawn of the 20th century, only the North and South Poles remained unclaimed on the world map. In 1911, two expeditions—one Norwegian, one British—embarked on a dramatic quest across Antarctica, each using strikingly different strategies. Roald Amundsen’s small, dog-powered team reached the Pole first, while Robert Scott’s larger, science-focused party suffered devastating losses on the return journey. Their contrasting fates reveal the razor-thin line between preparation and peril in the most extreme environments.