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Alhough he doesn't sight land, Captain Cook notices deposits of rock in icebergs showing that a southern continent exists.
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Captain Thaddeus Bellingshausen a Russian naval officer circumnavigates the Antarctic, first to cross the Antarctic circle since Cook. He made the first sighting of the continent.
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British whaler James Weddell discovers the sea named after him and then reaches the most southerly point at that time 74° 15' S. No one else manages to penetrate the Weddell sea again for 80 years.
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After failed attempts by several explorers Norwegian Roald Amundsen leads a five man expedition that reaches the South Pole for the first time.
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1923 marks the beginning of large-scale factory ship whaling in the Ross Sea.
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Australian Sir George Wilkins and American Carl Benjamin Eielson are the first to fly over Antarctica around the peninsula region
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United States sends the largest ever expedition of over 4700 men, 13 ships and 23 airplanes to Antarctica. Most of the coast is photographed for map making. This is known as Operation Highjump.
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The Antarctic Treaty comes into effect
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Carsten Borchgrevink leads a British expedition where men landed at Cape Adare and built huts. This was the first time that anyone had wintered on the Antarctic landmass. It is believed by some historians to be the first confirmed landing on continental Antarctica.
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Boerge Ousland (Norway) becomes the first person to cross Antarctica unsupported. Taking 64 days from Berkner Island to Scott base towing a 180kg (400lb) sled and using skis and a sail.
