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This Happened

This Happened—December 14: First Steps On The South Pole

Arriving by ship, skis and dog-powered sleighs, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen arrived where no human had ever set foot, exactly 111 years ago today.

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Why was Roald Amundsen trying to reach the South Pole?

Amundsen's initial plans had focused on the Arctic and the conquest of the North Pole using an extended drift in an icebound ship, but his expedition was disrupted when rival American explorers Frederick Cook and Robert Peary each claimed to have reached the North Pole. Amundsen then changed his plan and began to prepare for a conquest of the South Pole.

What were the worst things to happen to Roald Amundsen’ trying to reach the South Pole?

Amundsen fell through ice, broke his arm in two places, was attacked by a polar bear and almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning during his journey.

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Russia

A Reminder For Israel And Ukraine: Negotiating With Terrorists Never Works

As long as there are criminal regimes with technological, military, and financial capabilities, defeating them militarily is the only route to lasting peace.

Man aiming a weapon at the camera with similarly dressed men surrounding him

Members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement display weapons in Maghazi, Gaza on July 19, 2023.

Leonid Nevzlin

-Analysis-

KYIV — The conflict in Israel that began after Hamas launched a major terrorist attack on Israeli soil on October 7 offers striking parallels with the situation in Ukraine. It is not directly comparable to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, but both conflicts were preceded by similar developments.

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