In 1897 a Belgian named Adrien de Gerlache, in command of a ship called the Belgica, sailed to Antarctica with the intent to be the first to reach the south magnetic pole. On the expedition was Norwegian Roald Amundsen, who would later become one of the world’s most famous explorers, and Doctor Frederick Cook, who would become one of America’s greatest charlatans.
My guest, Julian Sancton, shares the story of the ill-fated ship, which found itself entombed in ice and forced to face a dark polar winter, its crew suffering from scurvy, madness and death. His book is called “Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica’s Journey Into the Dark Antarctic Night.”
More information about the book can be found at: sites.prh.com/juliansancton
