Polarizing Facts About Robert Scott, The Doomed Antarctic Explorer
He Was A “Polarizing” Figure
Captain Robert Scott was the British Antarctic explorer who led an expedition to claim the South Pole in England’s honor. However, a simple miscommunication led to frostbite, starvation, and an icy, snow-swept grave.
1. He Was Born To Be An Explorer
Robert Falcon Scott was practically born to be an explorer. By the time of his birth in June 1868, he already had four uncles and a grandfather who had served in either the British Navy or Army. His father, John Edward, however, was a simple brewer.
But that didn’t stop Scott from following in the proper family tradition.
2. He Was A 13-Year-Old Seaman
Scott and his younger brother, Archie, didn’t waste any time getting their sea legs. After just four years in a day school, Scott found himself in a “cram school,” studying for one task alone: to become a sailor aboard the HMS Britannia. By the time he was 13 years old, he had passed his exams and stepped aboard the legendary vessel as a cadet.
He quickly began finding ways to distinguish himself.
3. He Was A “Delicate Boy”
Scott would eventually become famous for his hardiness in braving the Antarctic winters. However, he wasn’t always so strapping. In fact, the author Apsley Cherry-Garrard, writing in The Worst Journey in the World, stated that “Scott had been a delicate boy”.
Thankfully, he matured nicely into a “strong man”. He made for an even stronger sailor.
4. He Won A Naval Race
By July 1883, Scott had earned more stripes as a midshipman—and he was already leaving an impression. During a race aboard the HMS Rover in St Kitts, which Scott’s cutter won, he attracted the eye of someone who would change the course of his life forever: Clements Markham, the Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society.
Markham would set young Robert Scott on the path to glory—and doom.
