In the past, man could only dream about the existence of a southern continent and for years scientists excitedly discussed the possibility of its existence. They believed that the world should have such a continent since the Earth consisted of so much land volume in the Northern hemisphere it then should have a counter weight in the south to equalize it.

Expeditions were formed to find this mysterious continent. The Portuguese made the first progresses. During one of their trips they could prove that one could sail around the African continent. Later on Tierra del Fuego in southern America was discovered. All of them important discoveries, but it made the lost continent even more mysterious. It was thought the continent would connect Africa, South-America and Australia. With every expedition taken they proved it did not!

Still scientists believed there must be an Antarctic continent. But due to horror stories of blizzards, thick ice and fog it would take ages for adventurers to continue the search. At the end of the 19th century this southern continent started to gain interest again. In 1841 it was the adventurer Ross who passed the Antarctic circle. But he was not to lucky. He got stuck in a thick pack of ice. This part of Antarctica is now known as the Ross Sea. He did not reach the actual south pole, but he was the first to come this far.

Later on other adventures, such as Robert Falcon Clark Scott, Ernest H. Shackleton and Roald E.G. Admundsen tried to beat each other in their search for the actual south pole. Who would be the first to write history? Eventually it was Admundsen who succeeded. He was the first man to reach the geographical South Pole.