Ernest Shackleton Irish Born Explorer 15 th February

Ernest Shackleton Irish Born Explorer 15 th February 1874 – 5 th January 1922

Where was Shackleton born? Ernest Shackleton was born in Kilkea in County Kildare, Ireland. He was one of ten children. When he was still a boy his family moved to London and it was here where he grew up. Use your atlas to find Kilkea in County Kildare.

Early Life Although his father wanted Ernest to become a doctor like himself, the young man had other ideas and decided to join the navy. It was through his time in the navy that he met Robert Scott and Shackleton made an attempt to be the first people to reach the South Pole in 1901. Use the internet to find out something about Robert Scott. Make notes and report back to the class.

South Pole Attempts The expedition in 1901 was cut short for Shackleton when he became ill and had to return home. He made a second attempt to reach the pole in 1907 but this time severe weather forced him to turn back. Do some research to find out some other event that happened in 1901.

Beaten to the Finish Line! In 1911 a Norwegian explorer beat Shackleton to the pole. His name was Roald Amundsen. Having seen his ambition defeated he set himself a new goal – to be the first to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. Look up the 1911 Census on the internet. Can you find the name of any of your ancestors on the census?

1 st August 1914 On this date Shackleton left London on his ship, the Endurance, determined to achieve his goal of crossing the most inhospitable continent on the planet. In January the ship became trapped in the ice of the Antarctic forcing the crew to leave the ship and camp on the ice. Use your atlas to find out information about the temperatures and weather conditions endured by these men as they camped on the ice.

Escape from the Ice In April Shackleton and his crew escaped from the ice to a little island called Elephant Island with the aid of three small boats. With little hope of rescue Shackleton and five other men set out in a boat for help. He returned on August 25 th and rescued all his men. They had been stranded in the icy desert for almost 2 years! Use the internet to locate Elephant Island.

1921 In 1919 Shackleton published a book called South, which told the story of his journey and the survival of his crew. In 1921 he set out again, this time to sail around Antarctica. Unfortunately, he suffered a heart attack and died on the journey. How old was Shackleton when he died? Use your atlas to find out about life expectancy in various parts of the world today.

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