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A LOOK BACK The attempts of early explorers to navigate the forbidding arctic seas left a legacy that contributes to the rich arctic history. The timeline below provides a glimpse into the scientific highlights of arctic exploration and discovery over the past thousand years. |
Historical Highlights of Arctic Exploration |
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Date |
Activity |
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11th and 12th centuries |
Novgorodians reach the White Sea coast. |
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1595-1597 |
Willem Barents (Dutch) and crew become the first Europeans to overwinter in the Arctic on the west coast of Novaya Zemlya after discovering Spitsbergen. |
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1616 |
William Baffin (English) explores northern Baffin Bay, but his maps are lost. |
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1648 |
Fedot Alekseyev Popov (Russian) finds easternmost point of Asian continent by boat. |
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1725-1734 |
First Kamchatka expedition of Vitus Bering (Russian) after a 5,000 mile overland journey. |
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1734-1743 |
Russian explorers attempt the Northeast Sea Route; members of the Great Northern Expedition attempt to map the Arctic coast of Siberia. |
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1819 |
Edward Parry's ships (English) overwinter at Winter Harbour, Melville Sound; ice prevents them from completing the Northwest Passage. |
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1820 |
William Scoresby (English) compiles a summary of meteorological observations from his whaling expeditions. |
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1820-1824 |
Ferdinand Wrangell (Russian) maps the coast east of the Kolyma River. |
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1821-1824 |
Fedor Petrovich Litke (Russian) charts the western and southern shore of Novaya Zemlya and Matochkin Shar Strait. |
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1878-1879 |
Adolf Nordenskiold (Norwegian) sails the complete Northeast Passage over two seasons in the Vega. |
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1882-1883 |
First International Polar Year: twelve meteorological stations established. |
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1893-1896 |
Norwegian Fram expedition (Fridjof Nansen). |
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1903-1906 |
Roald Amundsen (Norwegian) traverses the Northwest Passage. |
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1909 |
Robert Peary (U.S.A.) attempts North Pole by dogsled. |
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1910-1915 |
Arctic Ocean Hydrographic expedition. |
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1914 |
Ya. I. Nagursky (Russian) makes first arctic flight. |
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1918-1925 |
Norwegian Maud expedition (Harold Sverdrup). |
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1924-1926 |
First airborne ice reconnaissance flights in the Kara Sea (Russian). |
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1926 |
Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett (U.S.A.) claim to have reached the North Pole by air. |
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1926 |
The airship Norge flies over the North Pole from Spitsbergen to Alaska. |
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1928 |
The airship Italia crashes; USSR and other countries mount an international rescue effort. |
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1932 |
Icebreaker Sibiryakov navigates the Northeast Sea Route in one season. |
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1932-1933 |
Second International Polar Year: ninety-four arctic meteorological stations established. |
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1933 |
The Cheluskin sinks in the Northeast Passage. Passengers are rescued in April 1934. |
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1937 |
First Russian drifting station, North Pole 1, is established. |
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1937-1940 |
The Georgy Sedov expedition (Russian). |
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1940-1942, 1944 |
The St. Roch (a Royal Canadian Mounted Police ship) sails the Northwest Passage in both directions. |
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1941 |
Russian "Flying Laboratory" program begins. |
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1951 |
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is established. |
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1952 |
U.S. Air Force establishes the ice island T-3 as a research station. |
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1957-1958 |
The International Geophysical Year (IGY). The World Data Center system is established. |
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1958 |
The USS Nautilus crosses the Arctic Ocean beneath the ice. |
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1957-1958 |
As part of IGY activities, U.S establishes Drifting Stations Alpha and Bravo (T-3). |
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1972 |
WMO's Working Group VIII is formed to facilitate data exchange between Russia and the U.S.A. |
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1991 |
The last Russian drifting station, North Pole 31, closes. |
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1993 |
U.S. - Russian Environmental Working Group convenes. |
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