Southern Cross Reaches Farthest South in Antarctica
Carsten Borchgrevink's team reached 78° 50'S on January 16, 1900. First humans to stand on the Ross Ice Barrier. First to winter on Antarctica. First to use dogs and sledges there. Nobody cared. The British press mocked him — he was Norwegian, not British, and he'd funded the trip with a tabloid publisher's money. Scott and Shackleton got the glory a decade later doing exactly what Borchgrevink had already done. His maps guided them. His techniques kept them alive. He died broke in 1934. The Antarctic Treaty now lists him as the continent's first scientific explorer.
February 16, 1900
126 years ago
What Else Happened on February 16
Trajan sent laurel-wrapped letters to the Senate in 116 CE announcing he'd conquered Parthia. Rome's eastern frontier had been a problem for 150 years. Augustus…
Louis IX sent a friar to the Mongol Empire in 1249. Not a general, not a diplomat — a Dominican monk named Andrew of Longjumeau. The mission: convince the Mongo…
Lithuanian forces crushed the Livonian Order on the frozen surface of the Baltic Sea, killing the Grand Master Otto von Lutterberg. This victory halted the Orde…
Hendrick Lonck and his Dutch West India Company fleet seized the sugar-rich port of Olinda, dismantling Portuguese control over the Brazilian coastline. This bo…
Parliamentary forces crushed the Royalist army at the Battle of Torrington, shattering the King’s last significant field force in the West Country. This decisiv…
The Holy Roman Emperor issued the Leopoldine Diploma in 1699, making Greek Catholic priests equal to Roman Catholics in Transylvania. Sounds bureaucratic. It wa…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.