Nansen, Fridtjof

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

nan'sen, Fridtjof (1861-), a noted Norwegian explorer. He was born near Christiania, October 10, 1861. He studied at the university of that city, taking a special interest in natural science. In 1882 he accompanied a sailing vessel into the Arctic Ocean in order to study the seals and other forms of northern life. On his return he was made director of the Bergen museum of natural history. In 1888 he traveled across Greenland somewhat north of the latitude of 64 deg. An account of this trip was published subsequently with the title of Across Greenland. Later he became curator of a museum in Christiania and professor of zoology in the university. In 1893 he completed the construction of a vessel, the Fram, designed for Arctic exploration. It was framed with unusual strength to withstand the crushing pressure of ice. In 1879 the Jeannette, a ship fitted out by James Gordon Bennett of the New York Herald, entered the Arctic by way of Bering Strait. It was abandoned in the ice in 1881. Three years later articles from the ship were found on the shore of Greenland. Nansen argued that a strong ship entering the ice pack from the coast of Siberia would, in time, drift across an open polar sea and appear on the northern coast of Europe. With this theory in mind, Nansen and his crew reached a point in latitude 83 deg. 59'. Here he left the Fram and crew. He and his lieutenant with sledges, dogs, and canoes traveled northward to latitude 86 deg. 14' the highest latitude at that time reached by an explorer. His ship succeeded in penetrating as far as 85 deg. 57'. On his return in 1896 he published an account of his voyage under the title of Farthest North. It is an exceedingly readable book. See Arctic Regions