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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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