| Interesting
facts |
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|
von
Bellingshausen had a lot of admiration
for Captain Cook. He studied Cook's
writings and thought of him as
a hero. |
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|
He
set out for the South Pole in
1819. On his way there he stopped
in London and met with a man called
Sir Joseph Banks. Banks had accompanied
Captain Cook in 1770 and was able
to provide von Bellingshausen
with maps and other information
for his journey. |
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|
He
crossed the Antarctic Circle in
January 1820 - only the second
person to do so since Captain
Cook in 1773. The next day he
sailed to within 20 miles of the
Antarctic continent - close enough
to see land. |
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|
While
in the Antarctic his two ships
took their fresh water supplies
from icebergs. |
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|
His
voyage to the Antarctic lasted
2 years and 21 days. |
|
|
People
at home in Russia were not that
interested in von Bellingshausen's
achievements and it took 10 years
for his books about the trip to
be published. |
