This day in history: 206 years ago Antarctica was discovered
January 28, 1820, is considered the official date of the discovery of the sixth continent - Antarctica. However, modern historians and scientists emphasize that this process was not a one-man feat, and Soviet narratives around the discovery require significant rethinking.
An expedition of the empire, but not only russians
The expedition of 1819–1821, equipped by the russian empire, was multinational in composition. It is important to note that russia for a long time erased the contribution of other peoples.
- Ukrainian contribution: The second person on the expedition, the deputy commander of the sloop "Vostok", was Ukrainian Ivan Zavadovskyi, a nobleman from the Poltava Region. His role in navigation and management was key, and one of the discovered islands is named in his honor.
- International composition: The expedition was led by the Baltic German Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, and a significant part of the crew consisted of people from Ukrainian lands.
The joint discovery of humanity: three versions of the primacy
Today, the world community views the discovery of Antarctica as a gradual process in which several countries went "neck and neck". Instead of one "owner" of victory, history records three key dates:
- January 27-28, 1820 - the Bellingshausen and Zavadovskyi expedition recorded the ice shelf.
- January 30, 1820 - the British Edward Bransfield saw mountains on the Trinity Peninsula.
- November 1820 - the American Nathaniel Palmer reached the shores of the continent.
Bellingshausen described "rocky ice" or "an ice field with hills" in his diaries, but did not use the term "continent". The concept that it was a continental landmass was finally consolidated and popularized by Soviet historians only in the 1940s - as an instrument of the USSR's geopolitical influence.
Today, Antarctica is a continent of scientific research, where stations of many countries operate, including the Ukrainian "Akademik Vernadsky". Any military activity is prohibited on the continent, and according to international agreements, mining is strictly prohibited here until at least 2048.
As a reminder, Anton Ptushkin previously presented the film "Antarctica" about the life of Ukrainian polar explorers.