1839-40 — A naval squadron under Lieutenant (later Rear Ad- 

 miral) Charles Wilkes discovered Wilkes Land of 

 East Antartica and determined the continentality of 

 the south polar region. 



1850-51 — Lieutenant De Haven in the Advance, which was fit- 

 ted out at the expense of Henry Grinnell, participated 

 in the search for Sir John Franklin in Lancaster 

 Sound and Wellington Channel, Canadian Arctic 

 Archipelago. 



1853-55 — Dr. Elisha Kent Kane led an expedition in the Ad- 

 vance to Smith Sound between Northwest Greenland 

 and Ellesmere Island. Kane also established the first 

 scientific station in the Arctic while wintering over. 

 Officers and men of the U. S. Navy demonstrated that 

 the Smith Sound route was the most promising for a 

 dash to the North Pole. At the time, attainment of 

 the pole appeared to be the most important motive 

 for work in the far north. 



1871-73 — An expedition to Smith Sound region under Charles 

 Francis Hall w^as supported by public funds requested 

 by the Secretary of the Navy. Hall was the first 

 proponent of adopting Eskimo methods of living 

 as a means to maintain one's health and operating 

 capacity. 



1879-81 — During the summer of 1879 the Jeanette, on an expe- 

 dition in the Siberian sector of the Arctic Sea, com- 

 manded by Lieutenant George W. De Long, became 

 beset in the polar pack near Wrangel Island and 

 commenced a slow and uncertain drift toward Green- 

 land. Then, on 12 June 1881, it sank near 77° 15' N., 

 155° E. De Long and others lost their lives in the 

 desolate Lena Delta when almost in reach of assist- 

 ance. A second party under Lieutenant Melville was 

 saved. The contributions to our understanding of the 

 polar sea which these brave men made are still basic. 

 -On 22 June, Captain W. S. Schley rescued the Greeley 

 expedition to Ellesmere Island (First International 

 Circum-polar Year, 1882-83). 



-In this year Peary (Commander Robert Edwin Peary ; 

 later Rear Admiral) began his long arctic career with 

 a first visit to northern Greenland. His expeditions 

 were all privately conducted and financed. 



1884 — ( 



1886 — ] 



