Their routes through the Arctic in search of a northwest sea passage were remarkably similar, but their fates could not have been more different. Though Sir John Franklin was a celebrated English explorer with decades of experience, 128 men, and two finely crafted ships, his mission became tragically trapped in ice. A half-century later, a young, comparatively inexperienced Norwegian named Roald Amundsen, using a modest fishing vessel and a tiny crew, charted the long-sought Northwest Passage with relative ease. On this interactive map, compare key points on both expeditions and follow their routes from beginning to end.
To open the map, click on the image at left.
—Lexi Krock
