Sir Ernest Shackleton - Antarctic Explorer, Timeline and Childhood
Sir Ernest Shackleton's Personal Details
Ernest Shackleton was a celebrated Anglo-Irish polar explorer
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | February 15, 1874 |
| Died on | January 5, 1922 |
| Nationality | British |
| Famous | Miscellaneous, Explorers, Antarctic Explorer |
| Spouses | Emily Mary Dorman |
| Siblings | Frank Shackleton |
| Known as | Ernest Henry Shackleton, Sir Shackleton Ernest Henry, Ernest Shackleton |
| Childrens | Cecily Shackleton, Edward Shackleton, Raymond Shackleton |
| Universities |
|
| Birth Place | Kilkea |
| Gender | Male |
| Father | Henry Shackleton |
| Mother | Henrietta Letitia Sophia Gavan |
| Sun Sign | Aquarius |
| Born in | Kilkea |
| Famous as | Antarctic explorer |
| Died at Age | 47 |
Sir Ernest Shackleton's photo
Who is Sir Ernest Shackleton?
Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton was one of the main polar explorers of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. He joined the merchant navy when he was 16 and became a master mariner. He travelled widely, but was keen to explore the poles. He was part of three expeditions to the Antarctic - the first was led by the British naval officer Robert Falcon Scott on the ship, ‘Discovery’, while the other two were led by him aboard ships ‘Nimrod’ and ‘Endurance’, respectively. During his third trip to the Antarctic, his ship 'Endurance' became trapped in the ice, and ten months later sank. His crew had already abandoned the ship to live on the floating ice and eventually reached Elephant Island. Taking five crew members, Shackleton went to find help in a small boat, spent 16 days crossing 1,300 km of ocean to reach South Georgia and then he trekked across the island to a whaling station. The remaining men from the 'Endurance' were rescued. The astonishing saga of his survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas, as Time magazine put it, ‘defined heroism’. This once-forgotten explorer’s actions have made him a great role model for leadership and a great name in crisis management.
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Childhood & Early Life
Ernest Shackleton was born on 15 February 1874 in Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland, to Henry Shackleton, and Henrietta Letitia Sophia Gavan and was the second of ten children.
In 1880, when Ernest was six, Henry Shackleton decided to study medicine at Trinity College, Dublin, and moved his family into the city. Four years later, they shifted to Sydenham in suburban London.
A voracious reader, he was schooled by a governess until the age of eleven and then at Fir Lodge Preparatory School in Dulwich, London. At the age of thirteen, he entered Dulwich College.
Career
Restless and bored of studies, he decided to go to sea. His father was able to secure him a berth with the North Western Shipping Company, aboard the square-rigged sailing ship, Hoghton Tower.
In 1898, he was certified Master Mariner, qualifying him to command a British ship anywhere in the world, and joined the Union-Castle Line and transferred to the Tintagel Castle because of the Boer War.
In 1900, he was introduced to Llewellyn W. Longstaff the main financial backer of the National Antarctic Expedition then being organized in London. Longstaff recommended him to Sir Clements Markham, the expedition's overlord.
He was appointed third officer to the expedition's ship Discovery in 1901 and commissioned into the Royal Navy, with the rank of sub-lieutenant in the Reserves and thus his merchant navy services ended.
The Discovery Expedition, the brainchild of Sir Clements Markham, president of the Royal Geographical Society, was led by Robert Falcon Scott. Discovery departed London on 31st July 1901 and arrived at the Antarctic coast on 8th January 1902.
He accompanied Scott and Wilson on the expedition's journey to achieve the highest possible latitude in the direction of the South Pole and they set a record of Farthest South latitude of 82° 17′.
The march back to the ship was very difficult and he could not carry out his responsibilities. The party reached the ship in February 1903 and Scott sent him home on the relief ship.
On his return to England, his attempt to secure regular commission in the Royal Navy failed and he became a journalist, working for the Royal Magazine, but he did not find it interesting.
Between 1904 and 1907, he accepted the secretaryship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, became a shareholder in a company and stood as liberal candidate in the General Election.
In February 1907, he presented to the Royal Geographic Society his plans for a British Antarctic expedition. The aim was the conquest of both the geographical South Pole and the South Magnetic Pole.
He worked hard and persuaded some wealth friends to contribute towards the expedition named Nimrod expedition. Nimrod sailed for the Antarctic from Lyttelton Harbor, New Zealand on January 01, 1908. Nimrod arrived at McMurdo Sound on 29 January 1908. After considerable delays due to bad weather, his base was eventually established at Cape Royds.
In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to set foot on the South Pole. Shackleton now set his sights on a new mark: crossing Antarctica via the South Pole.
In 1914, he departed on the ship Endurance to the South Pole. Endurance got trapped in ice, forcing Shackleton to abandon the ship (that eventually sank), and set up camp on the floating ice.
They hoped that the ice would drift towards Paulet Island where they could access cached provisions. But it did not happen and they decided to head for the Elephant Island on their lifeboats.
After five harrowing days at sea, the men landed their three lifeboats at Elephant Island, 346 miles from where the Endurance sank, the first time they had stood on solid ground in 497 days.
On August 25, 1916, he returned to Elephant Island to rescue the remaining members of his crew. Amazingly, none of his 28-men team died during the nearly two years they were stranded.
Awards& Achievements
Shackleton received the Polar Medal with clasps, was honored with a knighthood in 1909, made the Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and the Officer of the Order of the British Empire
He was decorated by foreign countries like Sweden, Denmark, Norway, France, Russia, Italy, Prussia and Chile and received at least 25 silver and gold medals from Cities and Geographical Societies around the world.
Shackleton Wild, Eric Marshall and Jameson Adams, undertook the "Great Southern Journey” from their base, and on 9 January 1909 reached closer to the Farthest South latitude, coming within 97 miles of the pole.
Shackleton led a team of five others from the inhospitable Elephant Island aboard a 22-foot lifeboat toward South Georgia. Sixteen days later the crew reached the island, enabling him to organize a rescue effort.
Personal Life & Legacy
He married Emily Mary Dorman at Christ Church, Westminster in 1904. They had three children, Raymond, Cecily and Edward. He was a womanizer and not a good husband or father to his children.
On his fourth trip to Antarctica, he died from Coronary Thrombosis on 5 January 1922 on board the Quest. He was buried in the Grytviken cemetery, South Georgia, after a short service in the Lutheran church.
Trivia
One of the halls of residence for Merchant Navy Officer Cadets at Warsash Maritime Academy, one of Britain's Merchant Navy Training Colleges, is named after this great explorer.
The 137th anniversary of this Irish explorer’s birth was celebrated with a Google Doodle on the search company's homepage and the Christie's auctioned a biscuit that he gave "a starving fellow explorer”.
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Sir Ernest Shackleton biography timelines
- // 15th Feb 1874Ernest Shackleton was born on 15 February 1874 in Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland, to Henry Shackleton, and Henrietta Letitia Sophia Gavan and was the second of ten children.
- // 1880In 1880, when Ernest was six, Henry Shackleton decided to study medicine at Trinity College, Dublin, and moved his family into the city. Four years later, they shifted to Sydenham in suburban London.
- // 1898In 1898, he was certified Master Mariner, qualifying him to command a British ship anywhere in the world, and joined the Union-Castle Line and transferred to the Tintagel Castle because of the Boer War.
- // 1900In 1900, he was introduced to Llewellyn W. Longstaff the main financial backer of the National Antarctic Expedition then being organized in London. Longstaff recommended him to Sir Clements Markham, the expedition's overlord.
- // 1901He was appointed third officer to the expedition's ship Discovery in 1901 and commissioned into the Royal Navy, with the rank of sub-lieutenant in the Reserves and thus his merchant navy services ended.
- // 31st Jul 1901 To 8th Jan 1902The Discovery Expedition, the brainchild of Sir Clements Markham, president of the Royal Geographical Society, was led by Robert Falcon Scott. Discovery departed London on 31st July 1901 and arrived at the Antarctic coast on 8th January 1902.
- // Feb 1903The march back to the ship was very difficult and he could not carry out his responsibilities. The party reached the ship in February 1903 and Scott sent him home on the relief ship.
- // 1904 To 1907Between 1904 and 1907, he accepted the secretaryship of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, became a shareholder in a company and stood as liberal candidate in the General Election.
- // 1904He married Emily Mary Dorman at Christ Church, Westminster in 1904. They had three children, Raymond, Cecily and Edward. He was a womanizer and not a good husband or father to his children.
- // Feb 1907In February 1907, he presented to the Royal Geographic Society his plans for a British Antarctic expedition. The aim was the conquest of both the geographical South Pole and the South Magnetic Pole.
- // 29th Jan 1908He worked hard and persuaded some wealth friends to contribute towards the expedition named Nimrod expedition. Nimrod sailed for the Antarctic from Lyttelton Harbor, New Zealand on January 01, 1908. Nimrod arrived at McMurdo Sound on 29 January 1908. After considerable delays due to bad weather, his base was eventually established at Cape Royds.
- // 1909Shackleton received the Polar Medal with clasps, was honored with a knighthood in 1909, made the Commander of the Royal Victorian Order and the Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- // 9th Jan 1909Shackleton Wild, Eric Marshall and Jameson Adams, undertook the "Great Southern Journey” from their base, and on 9 January 1909 reached closer to the Farthest South latitude, coming within 97 miles of the pole.
- // 1911In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first person to set foot on the South Pole. Shackleton now set his sights on a new mark: crossing Antarctica via the South Pole.
- // 1914In 1914, he departed on the ship Endurance to the South Pole. Endurance got trapped in ice, forcing Shackleton to abandon the ship (that eventually sank), and set up camp on the floating ice.
- // 25th Aug 1916On August 25, 1916, he returned to Elephant Island to rescue the remaining members of his crew. Amazingly, none of his 28-men team died during the nearly two years they were stranded.
- // 5th Jan 1922On his fourth trip to Antarctica, he died from Coronary Thrombosis on 5 January 1922 on board the Quest. He was buried in the Grytviken cemetery, South Georgia, after a short service in the Lutheran church.
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Sir Ernest Shackleton's FAQ
What is Sir Ernest Shackleton birthday?
Sir Ernest Shackleton was born at 1874-02-15
When was Sir Ernest Shackleton died?
Sir Ernest Shackleton was died at 1922-01-05
Where was Sir Ernest Shackleton died?
Sir Ernest Shackleton was died in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Which age was Sir Ernest Shackleton died?
Sir Ernest Shackleton was died at age 47
Where is Sir Ernest Shackleton's birth place?
Sir Ernest Shackleton was born in Kilkea
What is Sir Ernest Shackleton nationalities?
Sir Ernest Shackleton's nationalities is British
Who is Sir Ernest Shackleton spouses?
Sir Ernest Shackleton's spouses is Emily Mary Dorman
Who is Sir Ernest Shackleton siblings?
Sir Ernest Shackleton's siblings is Frank Shackleton
Who is Sir Ernest Shackleton childrens?
Sir Ernest Shackleton's childrens is Cecily Shackleton, Edward Shackleton, Raymond Shackleton
What was Sir Ernest Shackleton universities?
Sir Ernest Shackleton studied at Dulwich College
Who is Sir Ernest Shackleton's father?
Sir Ernest Shackleton's father is Henry Shackleton
Who is Sir Ernest Shackleton's mother?
Sir Ernest Shackleton's mother is Henrietta Letitia Sophia Gavan
What is Sir Ernest Shackleton's sun sign?
Sir Ernest Shackleton is Aquarius
How famous is Sir Ernest Shackleton?
Sir Ernest Shackleton is famouse as Antarctic explorer