Carsten Borchgrevink (1864–1934) was an Anglo-Norwegian polar explorer
and a pioneer of modern Antarctic travel. He was the precursor of Robert
Falcon Scott, Ernest Shackleton, Roald Amundsen and others associated
with the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. He began his exploring
career in 1894 by joining a Norwegian whaling expedition, from which he
brought back a collection of the first specimens of vegetable life
within the Antarctic Circle. From 1898 to 1900 Borchgrevink led the
British-financed Southern Cross Expedition, which in 1899 became the
first to overwinter on the Antarctic mainland and the first to visit the
Great Ice Barrier since the expedition of Sir James Ross nearly sixty
years previously. Borchgrevink landed on the Barrier with two companions
and made the first sledge journey on its surface, setting a new Farthest
South record at 78°50'S. He was one of three scientists sent to the
Caribbean in 1902 by the National Geographic Society to report on the
aftermath of the Mount Pelée disaster. His pioneering work was
recognised and honoured by several countries, and in 1912 he received a
handsome tribute from Roald Amundsen, conqueror of the South Pole.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carsten_Borchgrevink>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1828:
Juan Lavalle (pictured), returning to Buenos Aires with troops
that fought in the Cisplatine War, deposed the provincial governor
Manuel Dorrego, reigniting the Argentine Civil Wars.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decembrist_revolution_(Argentina)>
1913:
Ford Motor Company began operating the world's first moving
assembly line for the mass production of automobiles.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_line>
1941:
The Civil Air Patrol, the civilian auxiliary of the United
States Air Force, was founded.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Air_Patrol>
1959:
Twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, the first arms
control agreement established during the Cold War, banning military
activity in the Antarctic and setting the continent aside as a
scientific preserve.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Treaty_System>
1990:
Channel Tunnel workers from the United Kingdom and France met
40 metres (131 ft) beneath the English Channel seabed.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
glogg:
A Scandinavian version of vin chaud or mulled wine; a hot punch made of
red wine, brandy and sherry flavoured with almonds, raisins and orange
peel.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glogg>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Labels are for the things men make, not for men. The most
primitive man is too complex to be labeled.
--Rex Stout
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rex_Stout>