Rumored to exist since the days of Aristotle, when he hypothesized the symmetry of the earth in which vast southern lands were required to balance the planet against the weight of the northern lands, the discovery of Terra Australis Incognita (literally “Unknown Southern Land”) in the early nineteenth century sparked a wave of excitement around the globe. Countless intrepid explorers from many nations rushed to be the first to explore the new continent, resulting in a dramatic race to the South Pole in December, 1911. Although the South Pole was reached by a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen, public interest in Antarctica did not subside and, in August of 1914, the “Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition” led by Ernest Shackleton set out to carry the British flag across the vast, icy continent. Along with his hand-picked crew, the selection of which he based as much on character as on skill, Shackleton set sail from Argentina. As the expedition closed in on its destination, the Endurance began to encounter sea ice which slowed its progress. Pressing onwards, the ship ultimately became frozen fast in the ice on the 17th of January. Knowing that they would be stuck for months, Shackleton ordered the vessel winterized. In May, the Antarctic sun set for the last time and Shackleton and his men settled in for a long, dark winter. When spring finally arrived, the sun re-emerged above the horizon and the ice began to melt. However, this did not bring about the reversal of fortune that the men had hoped for over so many months. The shifting of the ice as it melted began to exert pressure on the ship’s wooden hull, which slowly began to splinter. On the 27th of October, nine months after his ship became frozen in the unforgiving Antarctic ice, Shackleton gave the order to abandon ship and set up camp on the ice. A month later, the Endurance disappeared beneath the ice. Stranded in an inhospitable wasteland, out of contact with the outside world and far from any shipping lanes and the possibility of rescue, the outlook for Shackleton and his men was bleak. His only option as he saw it was to head back on a journey of around 800 miles to the nearest inhabited landmass, South Georgia Island, and search for help. As the continent again plunged into its wintry darkness, Shackleton and a handful of men set out in one of Endurance’s lifeboats, carrying with them the hopes and prayers of the entire crew.