Now that you know about Douglas Mawson's 300 mile Antarctic trek check out this video and find out about The Heroic Death of Chariots of Fire’s Eric Liddell: th-cam.com/video/Vwpx1_hUAnc/w-d-xo.html
I Love that story so much. I wish they'd make a realistic movie just using what he described in his diary because that would make one hell of a cinema movie.
Fascinating! I new the key events in the story but I learnt plenty too! One error though - our $100 note features John Monash on one side and Nellie Melba on the other. Mawson was on the $100 note when it was made from paper... but we haven't had paper currency since 1996 (a mere 21 years before this video was made).
i dislike this mentality. this guy got trough great suffering. but that does not make smaller suffering less problematic. and denying it for that reason only brings sorrow.
If I'm not allowed to feel bad because some people have it worse than me, then you're not allowed to feel happy, because some people have it better than you.
What I find especially inspiring is Mawson's motivation towards the end of his ordeal, believing that the Aurora had already left and he had no chance of surviving, his only wish was to die somewhere so that one day his remains might be discovered and the story of his expedition be known. That commitment to posterity, to legacy, speaks just as much to his character as the inhuman levels of endurance and determination it took for him to make the trek itself.
i read years ago the story of mawson's extraordinary feat of survival in an article entitled "mawson's will". . .he's one of the rarest breed of men to walked the earth. .an explorer extraordinaire. .
This man was so brave, and kind, he took care of his dying friend even when he couldn't help anymore and then trudged on after his friend's death, persisting despite everything stacked against him. A true hero.
ArmyGrunt1986 there really aren't many stories like this, partially because finding a story as well documented as this one is rare. Simon and crew will only present topics that are well substantiated with lots of evidence.
Actually there are a few Antarctic Expeditions with great stories of survival that he could cover. Are they as horrible as Mawson's? Not quite. Antarctic explorers actually didn't die too often. There have been several books written on the Scott Expeditions and the Shackleton Expeditions. Lots and lots to go on with events sometimes being written about by multiple people in their journals.
Great story, Thanks Simon! For those of you who still read books and want more try Apsley Cherry-Gerrard's "The Worst Journey in the World". It's worth a read and of course Shackleton's "South" is the classic from the Boss! Simon your picture of "a blizzard" has trees in it! A few pictures from Frank Worsley would have set the tone.
I remember an episode of New Tricks where dogs were being killed so their livers could be harvested to poison someone and the case was solved by one of the characters having Mawson's book.
This was a very dark story to think about, so poignant and terrible but also captivating. I’m really glad that at least one of them survived the ordeal, because its crushing to think of what these men must have felt. The horror and despair are beyond words
Someone should go find the exposed film from the expedition. Being in the cold like that, some of the latent images might still be able to be developed.
Holy crap. I wasn't paying attention, playing you in the background, but I was hooked by the end. Not having heard the beginning of the story, I thought he died, so I was mind blown to find out he didn't. Amazing man
Highly informative and wonderful narration, Sir Douglas Mawson would be proud of you. The book "Alone on the ice " has also been a true blessing by the Author 2 effectively convey the miraculous journey of this famous explorer.
Rin615 right i mean thes journals of explorers and scientific discoveries make great use of the literary education they got, they make such great mental images and more times than not either extremely funny or awe inspiring with their descriptions
This story would make an excellent movie, and if based on the book he wrote about it, they wouldn't have to change history like they did on The Revenant.
I first encountered this story in Les Stroud's "Will to Live." Les pretty much concludes that Mawson is the survivor in idealized form, embodying every characteristic necessary to survive. Overall it's an interesting read with other stories like this one.
DivideByZero If you go great distances in a short time for your body to recover, the skin on the bottom of your foot will peel due to wear. Also guessing the whether was a great factor as well. If you look at the feet of people who 100 mile races you'll see it. It's not pretty at all.
He suffered from vitamin A poisoning, as a result of eating the dog's livers. Skin detaching is one of the symptoms. The skin of the soles would be particularly prone to this because it is under constant stress from walking.
amazing tale, and love the way you tell it. good writing, and, as always, you always pick the best quotes to add to the depth and impact of the story! Well done!
Thank you for sharing this story. This was a intense story. I never heard of any of this until you told it. It actually gave me hope to push on with my own issues in life. This story is a inspiration of ones mans strength and desire to live. It is sad that the others could not make it. However they live on each time the story is told, never forgotten. :)
Morbid curiosity -- how did his feet end up healing? Did the soles reattach, or did he have to grow new skin? Did the blackened ends of his toes recover, or did he have to have bits debrided or amputated? Very impressed by his persistence in the face of adversity, especially a poem saving him in a dark hour. I've been saved by poetry & music more times than I can count.
You could also check out some other good ones. I've been reading The Worst Journey in the World written by Apsley Cherry-Garrard. It is about the Scott Expedition of 1910-1913. I'm going to be starting South: The Story of Shackleton's 1914-1917 Expedition soon too. Both are free on Amazon Kindle. Some of the problems they faced and overcame on the ice are impressive.
This video inspired me to read more about antarctic expeditions and research Douglas Mawson more, I just finished the book Alone on the Ice and its a great book about the Australasian (sp?) Antarctic Expedition. It goes more into detail then this video, but after watching several other youtube videos and reading two books I can say Simon Whistler told this story best.
Sir John Franklin's ill-fated Arctic expedition, and the following searches that slowly pieced together what happened, is another very interesting story. Would be nice to get the finer details on that one too!
Dude what is this dance you are performing while you speak? Its mesmerizing - I stopped watching your face 30 sec in and found your jiggling and jiving emphatically one of the best visual performances thus far I have seen this year. I'm happy to overlook the inverse hair and mini-conehead skull profile as a burgeoning balding man myself. Keep it up!
As I understand it, the reason the Aurora did not return was that they also had to pick up another part of the expedition, which was less well provisioned than Douglas and the men with him, and they could not pick up both, because there was not enough time before the end of the Antarctic Summer.
Mawson was removed from the $100 note in 1996. He featured on it from the notes creation in 1984 until they introduced our famous polymer notes in 1996.
If somebody had seen me reacting to the narration, they would have thought I was watching the most gruesome of epic fail video. Geez! You can't help but cringe and blanch, even gasp, as Simon recounts this tale. I love that poetry, that Robert Service poetry specifically, gave Mawson a center to focus, to keep triing. I also wonder what other of services works when through his head. The Cremation Of Sam McGee? He was pretty much living it. He was also living the Law of the Yukon, I would bet anything he recited it like a mantra; " This is the law of the Yukon, and ever she makes it plain:‘ Send not your foolish and feeble; send me your strong and your sane; Strong for the red rage of battle; sane, for I harry them sore; Send me men girt for the combat, men who are grit to the core; Swift as the panther in triumph, fierce as the bear in defeat, Sired of bulldog parent, steeled in the furnace heat. Send me the best of your breeding, lend me your chosen ones; Them will I take to my bosom, them will I call my sons." Service would have been the best of literary companions to have in your head under those circumstances.
This expedition and the Franklin arctic expedition live rent free in my head, simply because in both instances, you could completely fabricate an insane expedition story, and it wouldn’t be even close to what Mawson and the Franklin crew experienced.
@Today I Found Out, Sir Douglas Mawson has not been on the Australian $100 note for quite a while . $100 note has had Dame Nellie Melba and Sir John Monash since the mid 90s. Great video though. Reminds me of being told the story when I was in primary school.
Actually, in matters of survival and rationing, it's alright to eat liver (of carni's too)... Just remember the warnings and don't eat much of it... He'd have been better off to spend some of that liver on the other dogs... and some... just let it go. I hate to waste, too, but it is what it is...
David Roberts must’ve written the book prior to hearing of the exploits of Ernest Shackleton, who indeed had “the greatest survival story in the history of exploration”.
I can not find that book on Google store ☹️ would love to read more. I can find others writing about Mawson which is fine. While I am sure they are good I want his first hand accounts he has already published.
The frostbite must have been really bad in his case. I wonder how many of his limbs were still completely there and how he managed everything else, like his time in the military.
btw if you want some more Aussie story ideas, check out Ned Kelly & the Australian war horses in WW1 (particularly the way they were caught/broken - or not, & "Bill the Bastard"
Now that you know about Douglas Mawson's 300 mile Antarctic trek check out this video and find out about The Heroic Death of Chariots of Fire’s Eric Liddell:
th-cam.com/video/Vwpx1_hUAnc/w-d-xo.html
I Love that story so much. I wish they'd make a realistic movie just using what he described in his diary because that would make one hell of a cinema movie.
Fascinating! I new the key events in the story but I learnt plenty too!
One error though - our $100 note features John Monash on one side and Nellie Melba on the other. Mawson was on the $100 note when it was made from paper... but we haven't had paper currency since 1996 (a mere 21 years before this video was made).
Dang. Next time you hear someone complaining they had a bad day show them this video 😦
i dislike this mentality. this guy got trough great suffering. but that does not make smaller suffering less problematic. and denying it for that reason only brings sorrow.
True, but a story likes this makes smaller suffering less problematic when said smaller suffering is usually overly exaggerated.
So should he have given up?
If I'm not allowed to feel bad because some people have it worse than me, then you're not allowed to feel happy, because some people have it better than you.
when your bitch says "Ive had the worst day ever"
What I find especially inspiring is Mawson's motivation towards the end of his ordeal, believing that the Aurora had already left and he had no chance of surviving, his only wish was to die somewhere so that one day his remains might be discovered and the story of his expedition be known. That commitment to posterity, to legacy, speaks just as much to his character as the inhuman levels of endurance and determination it took for him to make the trek itself.
i read years ago the story of mawson's extraordinary feat of survival in an article entitled "mawson's will". . .he's one of the rarest breed of men to walked the earth. .an explorer extraordinaire. .
This was a fascinating story... Never heard of it before now, clicked out of just the title sounding intriguing and I'm very glad I did.
This man was so brave, and kind, he took care of his dying friend even when he couldn't help anymore and then trudged on after his friend's death, persisting despite everything stacked against him. A true hero.
Hollywood needs to make a movie about this guy.
This has to be my favorite and most fascinating video you done so far, great job. please do more on subjects like this.
ArmyGrunt1986 there really aren't many stories like this, partially because finding a story as well documented as this one is rare. Simon and crew will only present topics that are well substantiated with lots of evidence.
The story of Shackleton and his crew's escape from the Antarctic is also one that bears mentioning.
Actually there are a few Antarctic Expeditions with great stories of survival that he could cover. Are they as horrible as Mawson's? Not quite. Antarctic explorers actually didn't die too often. There have been several books written on the Scott Expeditions and the Shackleton Expeditions. Lots and lots to go on with events sometimes being written about by multiple people in their journals.
ArmyGrunt1986 agree
Plus there was that big battle between aliens and predators in the antarctic. They made a movie about it a few years back.
Truly astonishing story. Mawson was a true hero and is rightly much admired today. Thanks for the great video Simon.
I really wanna see the movie of this now
the movie would not be this good..
tohopes why not?
+Zach Huck I was gonna type the same thing. This would make an excellent movie.
Zach Huck to mini series was done in Australia in the 80s
it was made into a movie. look for a movie called "the thing" by a guy named John Carpenter...i think that's his name...
Courageous is an understatement. Wow!
Chuck Norris goes to bed every night crying because he's not as tough as Douglas Mawson.
OctoberRaven but i thought the arctic was cold cuz he said it was a little hot
This man's inner strength is incredible. I can't believe he went thru that and survived.
This one is...an exploration and adventure tale as well as a thriller and a tearjerker. Damn. A great tale of true hero. Thanks.
I'm not usually an emotional person, but this story made me tear up. Thanks for sharing.
Great story, Thanks Simon! For those of you who still read books and want more try Apsley Cherry-Gerrard's "The Worst Journey in the World". It's worth a read and of course Shackleton's "South" is the classic from the Boss! Simon your picture of "a blizzard" has trees in it! A few pictures from Frank Worsley would have set the tone.
I remember an episode of New Tricks where dogs were being killed so their livers could be harvested to poison someone and the case was solved by one of the characters having Mawson's book.
I love u guys' content, always well informed and interesting, keep it up :)
This was a very dark story to think about, so poignant and terrible but also captivating. I’m really glad that at least one of them survived the ordeal, because its crushing to think of what these men must have felt. The horror and despair are beyond words
Someone should go find the exposed film from the expedition. Being in the cold like that, some of the latent images might still be able to be developed.
These kind of videos are why I watch this channel. Never would have heard about him otherwise. Thank you.
Excellent video and a really inspiring story! 👍
Holy crap. I wasn't paying attention, playing you in the background, but I was hooked by the end. Not having heard the beginning of the story, I thought he died, so I was mind blown to find out he didn't. Amazing man
Amazing survival story, simon. You've gotta do a video on the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 tragedy, it's a breathtaking tale of survival too.
This is my favorite TH-cam channel hands down. Thank you
You're welcome :-)
Highly informative and wonderful narration, Sir Douglas Mawson would be proud of you. The book "Alone on the ice " has also been a true blessing by the Author 2 effectively convey the miraculous journey of this famous explorer.
1:20 - WTF - did this guy bring along HP Lovecraft to write his journal? O.o
ROFLMAO! People certainly were more verbose back then.
Totally the style, though. This one really stole a laugh from me.
bilbo1778 Most of the science journals from that time are written its funny to read some of them I especially loved quoting them in my masters
Rin615 right i mean thes journals of explorers and scientific discoveries make great use of the literary education they got, they make such great mental images and more times than not either extremely funny or awe inspiring with their descriptions
giant amongst men....how many could grunt that out
this guy must have been constructed out of nokias, and forged in the very fires of Vulcan/Hephaestus
Wow, just wow. I can't believe after all that, he lived, and for a really long time! These episodes are always so informative.
This story would make an excellent movie, and if based on the book he wrote about it, they wouldn't have to change history like they did on The Revenant.
A terrific story that I had not heard about. Great job.
My university is at Mawson Lakes (named after him). The Adelaide museum has a reasonably large section about his expedition as well. Crazy dude!
Holy shit, that was an incredible story.
That's the most amazing story of survival I've ever heard, and I've heard some astounding ones.
I first encountered this story in Les Stroud's "Will to Live." Les pretty much concludes that Mawson is the survivor in idealized form, embodying every characteristic necessary to survive. Overall it's an interesting read with other stories like this one.
This is one of your better ones... Well done.
What a life this man had!! Thanks for sharing this dramatic story!! 💗👏🏼
how does the sole of a person's feet fall off?
DivideByZero That's what I was wondering...
DivideByZero *shoe
DivideByZero If you go great distances in a short time for your body to recover, the skin on the bottom of your foot will peel due to wear. Also guessing the whether was a great factor as well. If you look at the feet of people who 100 mile races you'll see it. It's not pretty at all.
It was dead
He suffered from vitamin A poisoning, as a result of eating the dog's livers. Skin detaching is one of the symptoms. The skin of the soles would be particularly prone to this because it is under constant stress from walking.
amazing tale, and love the way you tell it. good writing, and, as always, you always pick the best quotes to add to the depth and impact of the story! Well done!
that was awesome, more biographical videos please!
Incredible. I'm a avid hiker and think myself tough, and I'm sure I'd have died 3 times over during Mawson's return.
The Heroic Antarctic Age is a neverending source of great stories.
What an absolutely amazing story! Thanks for sharing!
I used to live in the suburb of Mawson, named after him!
Matt Dennis I am a Mawson related to him
that was a fantastic story, Simon, Thank you for telling it. It just goest to show you how tough the human spirit can be.
Thank you for sharing this story. This was a intense story. I never heard of any of this until you told it. It actually gave me hope to push on with my own issues in life. This story is a inspiration of ones mans strength and desire to live. It is sad that the others could not make it. However they live on each time the story is told, never forgotten. :)
Morbid curiosity -- how did his feet end up healing? Did the soles reattach, or did he have to grow new skin? Did the blackened ends of his toes recover, or did he have to have bits debrided or amputated?
Very impressed by his persistence in the face of adversity, especially a poem saving him in a dark hour. I've been saved by poetry & music more times than I can count.
good question
Only one question. How could there be dislikes on a video like this?
Great story. But that blizzard photo at 9 minutes. ... Trees in Antarctica?
thanks I just bought the book. Do more videos like this. was looking for a new book
So what kind of medical treatment did he go through after all was said and done? Did they have to amputate anything?
Good one Simon. What a crazy story. I think I'm off to the book store to look for Home of the Blizzard...
You could also check out some other good ones. I've been reading The Worst Journey in the World written by Apsley Cherry-Garrard. It is about the Scott Expedition of 1910-1913. I'm going to be starting South: The Story of Shackleton's 1914-1917 Expedition soon too. Both are free on Amazon Kindle. Some of the problems they faced and overcame on the ice are impressive.
This video inspired me to read more about antarctic expeditions and research Douglas Mawson more, I just finished the book Alone on the Ice and its a great book about the Australasian (sp?) Antarctic Expedition. It goes more into detail then this video, but after watching several other youtube videos and reading two books I can say Simon Whistler told this story best.
Incredible story, thanks for sharing.
Sir John Franklin's ill-fated Arctic expedition, and the following searches that slowly pieced together what happened, is another very interesting story.
Would be nice to get the finer details on that one too!
Amazing man! Thank you for another great video!
remarkable story. I never heard of this explorer. his story should be up there with those like Call of the Wild.
Dude what is this dance you are performing while you speak? Its mesmerizing - I stopped watching your face 30 sec in and found your jiggling and jiving emphatically one of the best visual performances thus far I have seen this year. I'm happy to overlook the inverse hair and mini-conehead skull profile as a burgeoning balding man myself. Keep it up!
They should make a movie about this
As I understand it, the reason the Aurora did not return was that they also had to pick up another part of the expedition, which was less well provisioned than Douglas and the men with him, and they could not pick up both, because there was not enough time before the end of the Antarctic Summer.
Mawson was removed from the $100 note in 1996. He featured on it from the notes creation in 1984 until they introduced our famous polymer notes in 1996.
Amazing. He went through all that AND THEN lived through WW1 and WW2.
This needs to be a movie
Great and interesting story. Thank you.
Very interesting story, thank you!
Next time you complain about missing the elevator or revolving door, remember Douglas Mawson. ;)
The amazing Douglas Mawson comes from my hometown. 👌
If somebody had seen me reacting to the narration, they would have thought I was watching the most gruesome of epic fail video. Geez! You can't help but cringe and blanch, even gasp, as Simon recounts this tale. I love that poetry, that Robert Service poetry specifically, gave Mawson a center to focus, to keep triing.
I also wonder what other of services works when through his head. The Cremation Of Sam McGee? He was pretty much living it.
He was also living the Law of the Yukon, I would bet anything he recited it like a mantra;
" This is the law of the Yukon, and ever she makes it plain:‘ Send not your foolish and feeble; send me your strong and your sane; Strong for the red rage of battle; sane, for I harry them sore; Send me men girt for the combat, men who are grit to the core; Swift as the panther in triumph, fierce as the bear in defeat, Sired of bulldog parent, steeled in the furnace heat. Send me the best of your breeding, lend me your chosen ones; Them will I take to my bosom, them will I call my sons."
Service would have been the best of literary companions to have in your head under those circumstances.
The one dog left on the sled: "Hey guys, where we goin'!?"
And here I am feeling sorry for myself for not getting tips on my first two pizza deliveries. Man what an amazing story.
After all this the guy fought in WWI? I bet in the trenches he told his subordinates, "You think you have it bad? When I was your age...."
Wow. That has to be the toughest guy that ever lived.
This expedition and the Franklin arctic expedition live rent free in my head, simply because in both instances, you could completely fabricate an insane expedition story, and it wouldn’t be even close to what Mawson and the Franklin crew experienced.
Great video. Very interesting.
thanks for this one
@Today I Found Out, Sir Douglas Mawson has not been on the Australian $100 note for quite a while . $100 note has had Dame Nellie Melba and Sir John Monash since the mid 90s.
Great video though. Reminds me of being told the story when I was in primary school.
What a perspective! Quite a story
1:06 was the ship scheduled to return in 1913 or 1914?
Wow! I had never heard this account before. Remarkable.
I grew up in Mawson, Canberra ... named for this guy.
This guy is going right next to perceival fawcett as a personal hero and greatest explorers and proof of will over hardships
Fascinating, but surely 'Livingstone' not 'Lingstone'.
Btw never eat the liver of any carnivore, as they all have the same problem.
DavidB5501 The Magic School Bus taught me I'd turn orange if I had too much vitamin A.
Actually, in matters of survival and rationing, it's alright to eat liver (of carni's too)... Just remember the warnings and don't eat much of it... He'd have been better off to spend some of that liver on the other dogs... and some... just let it go. I hate to waste, too, but it is what it is...
I eat liver from tie to time. As long as you consume an appropriate amount, it's fine to eat.
That was the most incredible story!
Do a TIFO on Robert Service. Tough to go from journalist in the Yukon to land owner in Monaco...
That has to be one of the "hardest" people I have ever heard of. :~) It shows what we as humans are capable of in the direst of situations.
imagine being Bellgrave Ninnis and the last thing you see is the darkness approaching you as you fall into oblivion
more of these. wow! going to go look for book right now
David Roberts must’ve written the book prior to hearing of the exploits of Ernest Shackleton, who indeed had “the greatest survival story in the history of exploration”.
Our forefathers(and mothers) were a hell of a lot tougher then us!
The current Australian $100 note features Jon Monash and Dame Nellie Melba. Mawson was on the old paper currency decades ago.
I can not find that book on Google store ☹️ would love to read more. I can find others writing about Mawson which is fine. While I am sure they are good I want his first hand accounts he has already published.
He _was_ from Australia, a winter in Antarctica is child's play to someone who grew up on a continent where everything's trying to kill you.
The frostbite must have been really bad in his case. I wonder how many of his limbs were still completely there and how he managed everything else, like his time in the military.
Amazing story, fascinating!
Really surprised after doing some research that this is actually a relative of mine
You should do one about andrées polarexpidition, we have a musuem dedicated to it in Sweden. Also an interesting story
Second awesome Aussie one within a month! (check out the Australian Army's war against emus if you missed it) Love it! Please keep it up!
btw if you want some more Aussie story ideas, check out Ned Kelly
& the Australian war horses in WW1 (particularly the way they were caught/broken - or not, & "Bill the Bastard"
Went to the same primary school as he did in Sydney!