Born February 17, 1874,
Kilkea, Kildare, Ireland
Died January 5, 1922,
South Georgia Island, Antarctica
Ernest Henry Shackleton, the son of a doctor, was born in Ireland on February 17, 1874. When he was ten years old, his family moved to London, where he was educated at Dulwich College, later part of the University of London. Determined to become a sailor, Shackleton left school at age 16 and joined the merchant marine.
In 1901 he was appointed third lieutenant on the Discover, the ship that the British explorer Robert Scott was outfitting for the first scientific expedition of Antarctica. During the expedition Shackleton was chosen to accompany Scott and the zoologist Dr. Edward Wilson on a journey by sledge across the Ross Ice Shelf to the southernmost point yet reached in Antarctica (82°17′ S). On the return journey all three men suffered a severe case of scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C. Shackleton became especially ill. He was sent back to Britain on a supply ship, but he vowed to return to continue his explorations in Antarctica.
After Shackleton had recovered, he went to work briefly as a journalist.
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