The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration was an era in the exploration of the continent of Antarctica which began at the end of the 19th century, and ended after the First World War; the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922 is often cited by historians as the dividing line between the "Heroic" and "Mechanical" ages.
The known Antarctic region after the 1819–1843 period of intensive exploration.
Left to right: Roald Amundsen, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel and Oscar Wisting after first reaching the South Pole on 16 December 1911.
The oceanographer Sir John Murray
Image: Adrien de Gerlache
Carsten Borchgrevink
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Carsten Egeberg Borchgrevink was a Norwegian polar explorer and a pioneer of Antarctic travel. He inspired Sir Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton, Roald Amundsen, and others associated with the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
Henryk Bull's ship Antarctic in the pack ice
Sir Clements Markham, the Royal Geographical Society president who opposed Borchgrevink's Antarctic plans
Expedition member with binoculars, Antarctica, 1899