Polar Experts Talk: Robert Falcon Scott’s Last Expedition

Over a hundred years ago, explorers reached the shores of Antarctica for the first time and began mapping the continent. You may be familiar with the names of expedition leaders like Shackleton, Scott, Amundsen, and Mawson, but their voyages are full of spectacular stories of bravery, friendship, and adventure. 

The lecture will bring you up to date on the big questions of historical Antarctic exploration: why did they go there? How did they survive in extreme environments? What did they bring with them? What did they hope to achieve? 

Learn about Robert Falcon Scott’s last expedition of 1910-1913, which ended in tragedy and inspired Ted Tally’s 1981 play Terra Nova, presented by the Town Players of New Canaan from Feb 21-March 9 at the Powerhouse Theatre at Waveny Park. 

Driven by a dual mission of scientific inquiry and geographical achievement, Scott wished to be first to the Pole, but ended up in an unexpected competition against determined Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. He and the four men who accompanied him in his final polar party reached the Pole second, and never made it back home. The factors that led to this tragedy have been hotly debated for over a century. In conclusion, find out about the aftermath and legacy of this legendary expedition. How have changing attitudes towards the very concept of “heroism” since Scott’s death changed the way that Britain, and the world, have looked back at his accomplishments and failures? 

See dramatic photos taken during Scott’s expedition and then see the historically-accurate props and costumes in action featured in the Town Players of New Canaan’s production of Terra Nova!

Allegra Rosenberg is a freelance writer based in New York City. Her polar writing has appeared in The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveller, MIT Technology Review, Atlas Obscura and Long Now. Her debut nonfiction book, a cultural history of fan culture, is forthcoming from WW Norton. Since 2021 she has been the director of the annual Terror Camp virtual polar fan conference, bringing together attendees from all over the world. http://allegrarosenberg.com

Dr. Sarah Pickman is a historian, writer, and editor based in Westchester county, New York, who researches the history of British and American exploration and outdoor gear, especially for polar expeditions. She's co-editor of the forthcoming book Science and Exploration in the Polar Regions, 1773-1918: A History in Primary Sources (Routledge) with Dr. Daniella McCahey, an Associate Editor at the history journal Endeavour, and a regular contributor to Alpinist magazine, where she writes about historic mountaineering equipment. She holds a Ph.D. in History from Yale University. (www.sarahmpickman.com)

Eva Molina is a historian, science communicator, and writer of fiction and nonfiction. She is currently a PhD candidate in the History of Science at Princeton University.  Her research focuses on British naturalists at the poles, from 19th century attempts to find the Northwest Passage to the end of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Forthcoming work includes a chapter on polar bears in collaboration with the New York Public Library in The Awe of the Arctic: A Visual History (Routledge), as well as a book based on her current dissertation research TOWARD NO EARTHLY POLE: An Unnatural Natural History of Polar Exploration. As an outdoorsperson, she maintains a personal interest in the history of mountaineering– primarily in the Himalayas –as well as all things maritime.