In the Kingdom of Ice Summary
Hampton Sides

In the Kingdom of Ice Overview

The world was focused on the De Long Expedition to the North Pole in late 1881. There was excitement about an expedition finally reaching the North Pole, a region that had never been seen by man. Commander George De Long carefully prepared for years for the voyage; James Bennett, Editor-in-Chief of the New York Herald financed it; and August Petermann, renowned cartographer and geographer, supplied the necessary charts and maps. Unfortunately, De Long was given misinformation about the challenges he and his crew would face. The crew learned the hard way that an Open Polar Ocean said to exist beyond an icy barrier that would give the Jeannette open, ice-free waters all the way to the North Pole was a total myth.