Amundsen continued in his own relentless quest for experience, so next he volunteered to participate without pay, on a Belgian expedition to the Antarctic, which set sail in 1897. The Belgians at the time were not exactly what you would call a seafaring people, but in the colonial scramble for Africa they had done quite well to carve out a chunk of the Congo and with the sudden interest in Antarctica, they felt it was only fair that the Belgian flag should number among those laying claim to the frozen southern continent. So it was that an expedition quickly materialised – an eclectic, poorly thought out hodge-podge of scholars and sailors, drawn from a number of European countries. It might have seemed a romantic multi-national venture at the time, but few of the party had any arctic experience – save for a couple of Norwegian Sailors and the ships surgeon – American doctor, Frederick Cook. Now Dr Cook was a font of knowledge on the arctic, having accompanied Mathew Peary on his unsuccessful attempt at crossing Greenland in eighteen ninety two. But despite their failure, the two Americans later spent a great deal of time with the Inuit, learning about their clothing, transportation and most importantly, diet. You see, the good doctor was a thinker well ahead of his time. Vitamins, as I’ve mentioned, had yet to be discovered, but he was quick to realise that fresh meat – in particular offal (or internal organs) seemed to stave off the onset of scurvy in the eskimo- who were generally in excellent health, in an environment that European explorers were becoming sick in, and advocated the consumption of seal meat to supplement the diet of explorers. Amundsen knew a master when he saw one, and stuck to him like glue the two becoming close friends. The little Belgian boat eventually wound its way south past Cape Horn and entered dangerous Antarctic waters. The dodgy charts they possessed failed to prevent a near wreckage on a reef, and a sailor had been knocked overboard and lost in a storm. Despite this ominous start, miraculously they got through, and inched their way south into uncharted waters, discovering a passage that would eventually be named after the Captain – De Gerlache Sound. The team of resident scientists eagerly swarmed over islands and rock formations, dragging and man-hauling sleds over the icy crevasses and slippery slopes, collecting samples, all the time lumping heavy equipment ill-suited to the terrain, as they began surveying the newly discovered coastline. Amundsen saw first-hand the exhaustion and inefficiency of this method of transport, and was appalled at the waste of time and resources. While the scholars were busy doing their thing, he and Cook would take this idle time to ski and explore their surrounds, discussing their clothing, the environment, snow quality and comparison with the Arctic, half a world away. Indeed, Amundsen is credited with being the first ever to ski on Antarctica, and noted in his journal how easily he travelled compared to Cook, who was trudging laboriously on snow shoes. But his seal-skin clothing, and reindeer fur hood seemed to be much more comfortable than the gear Amundsen was wearing. He needed to learn more. The Captain had grand plans of navigating a third of the entire continent, but time was against him so he hatched the plan of overwintering there by getting his ship frozen in the ice and drifting south, mirroring what Nansen had done in the north just a short couple of years ago. The trouble was, that they had neither the supplies, nor the equipment to do so, and worse still, none of the crew had signed up for that. No preparation whatsoever – physical let alone psychological – had been made to select participants for such an isolated, dangerous and lonely undertaking in near darkness; so when he intentionally manoeuvred the ship into an ice flow which made the outcome inevitable, a terrible anxiety gripped the crew, which, as the months now dragged on became worsened by the spectre of scurvy that soon appeared. #bélgica #belgica #expedition #amundsen #degerlache #antarctica #antarctique #frederickcook #robertpeary #exploration You can watch the full video on Amundsen: The Quiet Conqueror of the Polar Regions here: https://youtu.be/RFVnzRTc84U If you enjoy my content, leave your suggestions and comments below, and please consider making a donation via PayPal or sign up as a Patreon supporter to help me continue making these unfunded educational videos: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=4D958V58PAVDU https://www.patreon.com/heroesandlegends https://buymeacoffee.com/infoQh For resources, links to my other videos, merchandise, the latest social media posts and podcast links, please visit my Heroes and Legends Website: www.heroesandlegends.com.au ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeG_IBDfcmM

May 2021 marks the bicentenary of the death of French Emperor and ethnic Corsican, Napoleon Bonaparte. A military and political genius and champion of the French Revolution, he has been much maligned by history as a dictator, and precursor for Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini and other modern despots by victorious British, Bourbon and other European monarchies. Napoleon's achievements both on and off the battlefield changed the course of world history and ultimately, drove the reforms and changes that were to improve the quality of life and futures of countless nameless peasants and disenfranchised people across Europe and the New World. And yet, he is continuously described as "controversial", racist, misogynist and an evil megalomaniac by biased historians viewing his life from their own narrow perspectives and political agendas. #napoleon, #vivelafrance, #empereur, #corsica All film footage used in the production of this educational video remains the property of their respective owners. A few viewers have commented that the music soundtrack was distracting, so I've uploaded a version - MUSIC FREE - here: https://youtu.be/cFROSBkc4pY For an audio-narration only version of this video, Please visit the Heroes and Legends Documentary Channel Podcast, through Spotify and other leading broadcasters. If you enjoy my content, leave your suggestions and comments below, and please consider making a donation via PayPal or sign up as a Patreon supporter to help me continue making these unfunded educational videos: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=4D958V58PAVDU https://www.patreon.com/heroesandlegends https://buymeacoffee.com/infoQh For resources, links to my other videos, merchandise, the latest social media posts and podcast links, please visit my Heroes and Legends Website: www.heroesandlegends.com.au ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yFK1UHPbsM

The Spanish Encomienda was a system of compulsory servitude imposed upon conquered non-Christians. It had its parallels in the taxation and servitude imposed upon Christians during the Moorish conquests of Spain, and was considered a legitimate form of tribute extraction from subjugated people. Spain would go on to inflict unimaginable suffering on indigenous peoples of the New World, until two champions, Dominican monks by the name of Bartolome de las Casas and Antonio de Montesinos stood up for the human rights of indigenous people throughout America. You can view the entire video of Las Casas here: https://youtu.be/uWIDu_4eJNA #encomienda #lascasas #antoniomontesino #montesinos #dominican If you enjoy my content, leave your suggestions and comments below, and please consider making a donation via the heart-shaped Thanks link on your Youtube screen; via PayPal; or why not sign up as a Patreon supporter to help me continue making these unfunded educational videos: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=4D958V58PAVDU https://www.patreon.com/heroesandlegends https://buymeacoffee.com/infoQh For an audio-narration only version of our full length videos please visit the Heroes and Legends Documentary Channel Podcast, via Spotify, Itunes or other leading broadcasters. For resources, links to my other videos, merchandise, the latest social media posts and podcast links, please visit my Heroes and Legends Website: www.heroesandlegends.com.au ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IW29QI-1Ls

Born Prince Philip of Denmark and Greece; the consort of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has often been maligned in the media for his frequent gaffes and politically incorrect comments. Yet his troubled youth, intense study and courageous actions in World War 2 marked him as a man of substance. A man's man and avid sportsman, he abandoned his promising Naval career and previous royal titles to support his wife the monarch and adopted country. Working tirelessly for the public good, he travelled extensively in his patronage of nearly 800 organisations, personally writing and delivering over 70 speeches a year in a marathon effort of public service of over 65 years. Committed to youth, environmental and sporting causes, he left a significant legacy on the many organisations and societies he passionately supported. A devoted husband and protective father, he passed away in May 2021, just short of his 100th birthday. #princephillip, #dukeofedinborough, #stoicism Several viewers have commented that they were distracted by the music soundtrack, so I've uploaded a - MUSIC FREE - version here : https://youtu.be/Sy1g_LqvIOk A narration-only audio version of this video (i.e. minus the music) is available on the Heroes and Legends Documentary Channel Podcast. Simply search for the channel on Spotify, Itunes, or other leading podcast broadcasters, where you can listen to this audio and all the others on this channel. If you enjoy my content, leave your suggestions and comments below, and please consider making a donation via PayPal or sign up as a Patreon supporter to help me continue making these unfunded educational videos: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=4D958V58PAVDU https://www.patreon.com/heroesandlegends https://buymeacoffee.com/infoQh For resources, links to my other videos, merchandise, the latest social media posts and podcast links, please visit my Heroes and Legends Website: www.heroesandlegends.com.au ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNUACmwtQwU