1908

In January, the famous Nimrod Expedition set sail from New Zealand. Led by Ernest Shackleton, this British expedition was meant to discover the South Pole. While the group did not achieve their goal, they did reach a point farther south than anyone had been before. What is especially remarkable is that this was funded entirely by private donations. On the opposite end of the world, it was in April of this year that American explorer, Frederick Cook, claims to have reached the North Pole, but this claim has been disputed for many years. In July, Cook’s rival, Robert Peary, set sail for the North Pole. Both men claim to have been the first to reach the Pole, but both claims have been contested since they made their claims.

There were also events that brought the world closer together – things that made the world seem a bit smaller. In a major development for the aviation field, French aviator Leon Delagrange piloted the first passenger flight in March. Also in March of this year, the first Scout troop was formed in the United Kingdom. This can be considered the beginning of organized Scouting as an activity for boys, after Robert Baden-Powell published his Scouting for Boys book. This movement would become an international cultural phenomenon, spreading across the world, passing on values and skills that would last for generations.

In another momentous development, American businessman Henry Ford produced the first Model T automobile at his production plant in Detroit, Michigan. Ford’s Model T would radically change the way that people travelled and how communities organized themselves.