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

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 […]