09 January

January 9 1909 – Ernest Shackleton Plants the British Flag 112 miles from the South Pole

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January 9 1909 – Ernest Shackleton Plants the British Flag 112 miles from the South PoleRate this post Braving some of the fiercest weather conditions on the planet, explorer Ernest Shackleton finally decided to call it quits on January 9, 1909. After months leading the Nimrod Expedition across the frozen landscape of Antarctica, he planted the Union Jack in the ice just 112 miles from the South Pole, closer to the bottom of Earth than any man had come up to that point. Almost a decade before, Shackleton left Cardiff, Wales bound for Antarctica aboard the Discovery. Working as third mate to Captain Robert Falcon Scott, he gained an appreciation […]

January 9 1960 – Construction Of The Aswan Dam in Egypt Begins

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January 9 1960 – Construction Of The Aswan Dam in Egypt Begins4 (80%) 1 vote The construction of the Aswan High Dam across the River Nile in Egypt began on January 9, 1960, with the removal of about 20 tons of granite by the detonation of dynamite. The dam came to play an important role in curbing the flood and drought cycles of the River Nile that have been a feature of Egyptian life for many centuries. The Aswan High Dam is located on the Nile just about north of the international border between Egypt and Sudan. Prior to the construction of the High Dam, the dam at Aswan was […]