Fridtjof Nansen

Fridtjof Nansen (born October 10, 1861 in Store Frøen, near Kristiania, now Oslo - died May 13, 1930 in Lysaker, outside Oslo) was a Norwegian explorer, scientist and diplomat. Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his work as a League of Nations High Commissioner.

Arctic exploring

Nansen made his first voyage to Greenland waters in a sealing ship 1882, and in 1888 succeeded in crossing the Greenland icefield on skis from East to West together with Otto Sverdrup, Olaf Dietrichson, Kristian Kristiansen Trana, Samuel Balto and Ole Nielsen Ravna. In 1893, he sailed to the Arctic in the Fram (a purpose-built, round-hulled ship later used by Roald Amundsen to transport his expedition to Antarctica) which was deliberately allowed to drift north through the ice, a journey that took more than three years. During this first crossing of the Arctic Ocean the expedition became the first to discover the existence of a deep polar basin. When after more than one year in the ice it became apparent that Fram would not reach the North Pole, Nansen, accompanied by Hjalmar Johansen (1867–1913), continued north on foot and, in April 1895, reached 86° 14´ N, the highest latitude then attained. The two men were forced to spend the winter, surviving on walrus blubber and polar bear meat, on Franz Josef Land, where they eventually, in the summer of 1896, connected with a British expedition led by Frederick George Jackson.

Related Topics:
Greenland - Sealing - 1882 - 1888 - Otto Sverdrup - Samuel Balto - 1893 - Arctic - Fram - Roald Amundsen - Antarctica - Arctic Ocean - Deep polar basin - North Pole - Hjalmar Johansen - 1867 - 1913 - 1895 - Walrus - Blubber - Polar bear - Franz Josef Land - 1896 - Frederick George Jackson

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