Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s 1897 Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night

History Unplugged Podcast · May 11, 2021 · 59m

Polar exploration of the 19th century was the space travel of its day. There were moments of glory, like Ernest Shackleton’s heroic journeys to the Antarctic. There were moments of terror, such as Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition in 1845 to discover the Northwest Passage, which likely ended in starvation, cannibalism, and death. But one journey that has been largely forgotten has one of the most important stories of all. That’s the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-1899.

The Belgica was one of the first polar expeditions to Antarctica at the end of the 19th century. The voyage was meant…