**Historical Background:**
– Greek Philosophers theorize Spherical Earth with North and South Polar regions around 600 BC – 300 BC.
– Ptolemy published Geographia in 150 AD, noting Terra Australis Incognita.
**Early Exploration:**
– Ui-te-Rangiora claims to have sighted southern ice fields in the 7th century.
– Polynesians settle Auckland Islands (50°S) in the 13th century.
– Juan Sebastián de El Cano first circumnavigates the globe in 1522, discovering the Strait of Magellan (54°S).
– Francisco de Hoces reportedly blown south from the Strait of Magellan to (56°S) discovering the Drake passage in 1526.
**19th Century Discoveries:**
– William Smith discovers the South Shetland Islands (62°00′S 58°00′W) in 1819.
– Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev discover Alexander Island and Peter I Island in Antarctica between 1819–1821.
– Edward Bransfield with William Smith sight Trinity Peninsula (63°37′S 58°20′W) in 1820.
**20th Century Expeditions:**
– New Zealand Federated Mountain Clubs Antarctic Expedition led by John M. Millen in 1962–1963.
– 8th Soviet Antarctic Expedition led by Mikhail Somov in 1962–1964.
– South Pole—Queen Maud Land Traverse I in 1964–1965.
– 22nd Soviet Antarctic Expedition led by N. Tyabin, Leonid Dubrovin in 1976–1978.
– Transglobe Expedition led by Ranulph Fiennes in 1980–1981.
**21st Century Exploration:**
– South Pole—Queen Maud Land Traverse II in 1965–1966.
– First Venezuelan Scientific Expedition to Antarctica in 2008.
– Liv Arnesen and Ann Bancroft crossed Antarctica on ski-sail in 2000–2001.
– Moon Regan Transantarctic Crossing in 2010 was the first wheeled transantarctic crossing.
– Third and Fourth Venezuelan Scientific Expeditions took place in 2010 and 2011.
This list of Antarctica expeditions is a chronological list of expeditions involving Antarctica. Although the existence of a southern continent had been hypothesized as early as the writings of Ptolemy in the 1st century AD, the South Pole was not reached until 1911.
| Terra Australis | |
|---|---|
 Terra Australis is the large continent on the bottom of this 1570 map |