What Ancient Greeks and Victorian Explorers Thought Was at the North Pole

What Ancient Greeks and Victorian Explorers Thought Was at the North Pole

The North Pole looms large in our collective psyche—the ultimate Otherland in a world mapped and traversed. It is the center of our planet’s rotation, and its sub-zero temperatures and strange year of one sunset and one sunrise make it an eerie, utterly disorienting place that challenges human endurance and understanding.

Erling Kagge and his friend Børge Ousland became the first people “to ever reach the pole without dogs, without depots and without motorized aids,” skiing for 58 days from a drop off point on the ice edge of Canada’s northernmost island.

Erling, today’s guest, describes his record-making journey, probing the physical challenges and psychological motivations for embarking on such an epic expedition, the history of the territory’s exploration, its place in legend and art, and the thrilling adventures he experienced during the trek.

Erling also observes the key role that this place holds in our current geopolitical conversations. He is the author of the book After the North.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jaksot(1073)

Who Was WW2 Spy Zig-Zag?

Who Was WW2 Spy Zig-Zag?

Today's question comes from Dean Wallace: Could you tell me about the career of [World War Two] agent Zigzag?     WANT ME TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT HISTORY? Click here to learn more.     TO HELP O...

9 Kesä 20178min

What Is The World’s Oldest University?

What Is The World’s Oldest University?

Today's question comes from James Ganong: Could you please tell me the history of oldest university? I think it is in Egypt...   WANT ME TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT HISTORY? Click here to learn more...

8 Kesä 20177min

Tell Me About the Varangians (The Vikings of Russia)

Tell Me About the Varangians (The Vikings of Russia)

Today's question is about the Varangians, a group of Vikings that conquered Kievan Rus and became the first rulers of the Russian state. I'd love it if you could talk about Kievan-Rus, the Rurik dynas...

7 Kesä 20175min

Can We Really Know Anything in History Or Is It All Fake News?

Can We Really Know Anything in History Or Is It All Fake News?

Today's question comes from C. M. Ho: How much of history has been the figment of some power hungry person or group? Some historians or those that call themselves historians are not adhering to the tr...

6 Kesä 20177min

Every President’s Go-to Drink, From Washington’s Whisky to Obama’s Homebrew—Mark Will-Weber

Every President’s Go-to Drink, From Washington’s Whisky to Obama’s Homebrew—Mark Will-Weber

There are books about presidents. There are books about cocktails. Then there are books that create and attribute a cocktail to each of the 45 U.S. presidents. Journalist and editor Mark Will-Weber ha...

5 Kesä 20171h 18min

What Were French Trappers Doing in 1700s America?

What Were French Trappers Doing in 1700s America?

Today's question comes from Suzanne: I would enjoy anything about the French in North America, Canada and the US, early American History of the Michigan Territory, Seven Years War, etc.   WANT ME TO A...

2 Kesä 20176min

Did the Inventor of the Guillotine Die By Guillotine?

Did the Inventor of the Guillotine Die By Guillotine?

Today's question comes from August Berkshire: Is it true that the person who invented the guillotine was guillotined himself? What the story behind both events? WANT ME TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT H...

1 Kesä 20176min

What is the Bloody Mary Myth Based On?

What is the Bloody Mary Myth Based On?

Today's question comes from Goa Yong: Is Bloody Mary a real person?   WANT ME TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT HISTORY?   Click here to learn more.     TO HELP OUT THE SHOW Leave an honest review on iTun...

31 Touko 20179min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
sita
i-dont-like-mondays
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
kaksi-aitia
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
uutiscast
poks
antin-palautepalvelu
kolme-kaannekohtaa
aikalisa
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
mamma-mia
rss-murhan-anatomia
rss-nikotellen
rss-haudattu
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
loukussa
taskula-trishin