Description
After the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958, Antarctica became a focus of scientific research that continues to this day. In 1958, most of Antarctica was under territorial claims by seven nations, with overlapping claims between Britain, Chile, and Argentina leading to conflicts. The U.S. President at the time, Dwight D. Eisenhower, called for claimant nations to hold a series of meetings and work out an agreement so that Antarctica could remain for 'peaceful purposes only'. These meetings led to the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, one of the most successful international treaties every signed. In this podcast I describe events leading up to this treaty and how it helped resolve international disputes. I also describe my own research on why Eisenhower never made a territorial claim for the U.S. in Antarctica, despite pressure at home to do so.
The Heroic Age in Antarctica dates from 1899-1922 when the first men to winter over and conduct scientific research and exploration endured many hardships with some deaths. Besides providing the first scientific studies, photography and even poetry emerged from this period. It also can be...
Published 03/12/23
Throughout this podcast, we have traced the history of Antarctica from its geologic origins, its earliest discovery and the first people to set foot there, to the first research stations and into the modern world. Even though Antarctica has been impacted throughout the past 120 years from...
Published 03/11/23