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Captain James Cook and his crew become the first known Europeans to cross the Antarctic Circle. Pack ice and the ship's sails freezing caused him to be forced to stop exploring Antarctica further.
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John Davis arguably becomes the first person to land in Antarctica
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John Weddell travels the furthest south in Antarctica therefore the Weddell Sea is named after him.
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Carsten Borchgrevink is the first person to find plant life in Antarctica. He finds lichen.
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Roald Amundsen is the first person to succeed in finding the geographical South Pole, beating Robert Falcon Scott and his Terra Nova Expedition who got to the South Pole after Amundsen. All members of theTerra Nova Expedition died in Antarctica.
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Shackelton's ship 'The Endurance' gets frozen in the ice on the edge of the Weddell Sea.
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After the crew abandoning their ship, The Endurance finally sinks.
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In the early 1940s, the first permanent settlement was made in Antarctica. (Please note that while the picture is of a permanent settlement in Antarctica, it is not the first.)
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The Antarctic Treaty comes into effect, after being signed in 1959 by many nations, who pledged to use Antarctica for scientiffic studies only.
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Scientists find out that the ozone layer in the Earth's stratosphere is being polluted.
