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Ancient Greeks suggest that a southern continent exists.
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British explorer James Cook is the first to cross the Antarctic Circle but he never sees the continent.
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Russia’s Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, England’s Edward Branfield, and the U.S.’s Nathaniel Palmer all say they were first to see Antarctica
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American Charles Wilkes proves Antarctica is a continent rather than a group of islands by sailing along more than 1,500 miles of coast.
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Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen discovers the South Pole.
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Explorer Ernest Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, sinks after becoming trapped in ice. The crew is rescued on August 30, 1916.
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Caroline Mikkelsen, the wife of a Norwegian whaling captain, becomes the first women to go to Antarctica
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As part of the International Geophysical Year, scientists from 12 countries establish 50 research stations in Antarctica.
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British explorer Vivian Fuchs leads the first expedition to cross Antarctica from coast to coast entirely by land.
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Twelve countries sign the Antarctic Treaty, in Washington, D.C. It states that the land must be used for peaceful purposes.
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A chunk of ice about the size of Rhode Island separates from the Larsen B Ice Shelf.
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A 160-square-mile block of ice breaks off from the Wilkins Ice Shelf, in western Antarctica.