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Douglas Mawson
Douglas Mawson was an Antarctic explorer from Australia. He authored the book The Home of the Blizzard, which told of his adventures.
113 Questions
Why should you remember Douglas Mawson?
Douglas Mawson is most known for being a pioneering explorer of the Antarctic.
Mawson was born on 5 May 1882 in Yorkshire, and his family emigrated to Australia in 1884. They settled in Sydney, where Mawson studied geology at Sydney University. Mawson held a position as geologist to an expedition to the New Hebrides in 1903, where he gained invaluable experience. Following this, Mawson came back to Australia where, in 1905, he was appointed a lecturer in petrology and mineralogy at the University of Adelaide.
In 1907, Mawson joined an expedition to Antarctica led by Ernest Shackleton, as a scientific officer, and was one of the first to ascend Mount Erebus and get close to the South magnetic pole. He was offered a place on Robert Scott's Terra Nova expedition but turned it down to lead the Australasian Antarctic Expedition of 1911-1914, sailing on the "Aurora".
On 2 December 1911, Mawson departed from Hobert on the "Aurora", bound for Macquarie Island, a sub-antarctic island 1500 kilometres south east of Tasmania and 1300 kilometres north of Antarctica. Here, he established a base before leaving on December 23 to explore the Antarctic continent. On 7 January 1912, the Aurora reached a place that Mawson named Commonwealth Bay. A whaleboat was sent ashore on December 8, and the point at which they landed, Cape Denison, was found to harbour an abundance of Antarctic wildlife, including Weddell seals and Adelie penguins.
How many brothers and sisters did Douglas Mawson have?
He had two sisters and one brother and one of his sisters was famous
What things are named after Sir Douglas Mawson?
Features and places named after Sir Douglas Mawson, Antarctic explorer, include:
- Mawson's Peak, the highest point on Australian territory (not on the Australian mainland, but on Heard Island)
- Mawson Peninsula, an ice-covered peninsula on the George V Coast, on the west side of Slava Ice Shelf, Antarctica
- Cape Mawson, Charcot Island
- Mawson Glacier, Victoria Land
- Mawson Escarpment, on Lambert Glacier
- Mawson Station, a permanent base in Antarctica overseen by the Australian Antarctic Division
- Mawson Corridor, the sea passage between icebergs on the approach to Mawson Station at Holme Bay
- Mawson Coast, part of the coast of MacRobertson Land
What is Douglas mawsons middle name?
There is no record of Douglas Mawson's middle name.
Though Mawsons mother's name was Margaret Ann Moore and his father's name was Robert Ellis Mawson.
(see related question)
How many expeditions did Douglas Mawson go on?
Douglas Mawson went on four expeditions to Antarctica.
On the first occasion, he was part of Ernest Shackleton's British Antarctic Expedition. Together with Australian geologists Professor Edgeworth David and naval surgeon Alistair Mackay, Mawson was the first to reach the magnetic South Pole on 16 January 1909.
On his second exploration, leading the first Australasian Antarctic Expedition, Mawson, on the boat Aurora departed from Hobart on 2 December 1911. He reached Commonwealth Bay on the Antarctic continent on 7 January 1912. He returned in 1914.
Mawson undertook two more explorations in Antarctica; one in 1929 and the last in 1931, leading the first and second British, Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expeditions (BANZARE).
Where did Douglas mawson live in Australia?
he was near Sydney and moved to Adelaide after he graduated from uni
What food did Douglas mawson take to antarctica?
he ate his own body and he ate the dogs and canned food ?
What branch of science does Douglas Mawson fit into?
Geology. Sir Douglas Mawson [May 5, 1882-October 14, 1958] was an Australian who was trained as a geologist, and who explored Antarctica.
Why did people think Amelia Earhart was brave?
Because she did many things women had never done before. Flying alone across a vast ocean is scary even these days - back then it would have terrified most pilots.
Was anything named after Douglas Mawson and his crew in Antarctica?
Mawson Peak is the highest mountain in any Australian territory. It lies on Heard Island, one of Australia's territories, in the Southern Ocean, but not specifically in Antarctica.
What university did sir Douglas Mawson go to?
He went to the University of Sydney in 1899-1901, where he studied mining engineering and graduated B.E. in 1902
What was Douglas Mawson's wife's name?
His wife's name was Lady Fransisca Adriana Delprat and they married on the 31st of March, 1914.
What was sir Douglas mawson's first expedition?
His first expedition to Antarctica was with Ernest Shackletons Nimrod Expedition of 1907.
Who is in Sir Douglas Mawson's family?
Mawson's mother was Margeret Ann Moore
Maswon's father was Robert Ellis Mawson
Mawson's wife was Francisca Paquita Delprat
Is the Australian One Hundred Dollar note showing Sir Ian Douglas Mawson legal tender?
All earlier Australian decimal banknotes remain legal tender in Australia even though they are no longer in circulation.
You may have problems getting a shopkeeper of tradesman to accept an old banknote though.
The Reserve Bank of Australia advises that old Australian banknotes can be presented at the Reserve Bank of Australia and most banks and exchanged for an equivalent value current Australian banknote.
