Robert Falcon Scott

Scott, Robert Falcon (1868–1912), English explorer remembered for his fatal attempt, on his second antarctic expedition, to be the first to reach the South Pole. In 1911 he led 4 men with sleds 950 mi (1,529 km) from the Ross Ice Shelf to the South Pole. They arrived on Jan. 18, 1912, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had reached the Pole a month before. Scurvy, frostbite, starvation, and bitter weather hampered the grueling 2-month return journey, and the last 3 survivors died in a blizzard, only 11 mi (18 km) from the next supply point.

See also: South Pole.