2. Ernest Shackleton was a famous Antarctic
explorer. His parents were Henry and
Henrietta. Shackleton was born on the 15 of
February1874 and died on the 5 of January
1922(age 47).
4. On 1 January 1908, Nimrod sailed for the
Antarctic from Lyttelton Harbour, New
Zealand. The "Great Southern Journey", began
on 19 October 1908. On 9 January 1909
Shackleton and three companions (Wild, Eric
Marshall and Jameson Adams) reached a new
farthest south latitude of 88°23'S, a point only
180 km from the South Pole.
6. Shackleton's restlessness at school was such that
he was allowed to leave at 16 and go to sea. The
options available were a Royal Naval cadetship at
HMS Britannia, which Dr Shackleton could not
afford, the mercantile marine cadet ships Worcester
and Conway, or an apprenticeship "before the
mast" on a sailing vessel. The third option was
chosen. His father was able to secure him a berth
with the North Western Shipping Company, aboard
the square-rigged sailing ship Hoghton Tower.
