Shackleton, Sir Ernest (sold)

Ernest Shackleton (February 15, 1874 - January 5, 1922) was one of the most accomplished Antarctic explorers in history. Born in Ireland to an Anglo-Irish family, Shackleton joined the Discovery Expedition in 1901 - 1904, one of the first British expeditions to the Antarctic in decades, following the initial discoveries of James Clark Ross in the 1830s-1840s. During the Discovery Expedition, Shackleton and Edward Adrian Wilson set a record for furthest latitude south reached. The 1907 - 1909 Nimrod Expedition, which Shackleton led, went further south yet, establishing a new record and reaching within 100 miles of the South Pole. Shackelton was knighted on his return to Britain and became a well-known public speaker, giving lectures about his experiences and polar exploration more generally. He then led another expedition in 1914 – 1917, named for one of its ships, the Endurance, that attempted to cross the land portion of Antarctica. The expedition went horribly wrong when the Endurance was stuck in ice and then crushed, leaving the men stranded. Shackleton led them on a months-long journey over hundreds of miles of ice and open water in a small boat, managing to ultimately return all the men safely. In 1921, Shackleton died from a heart attack on his ship off the coast of South Georgia Island while preparing for another expedition to the Antarctic. He was largely forgotten alongside other polar explorers of the era until the early 21st century, when a documentary and television miniseries starring Kenneth Branagh as Shackleton recounted his exploits during the Endurance expedition.