 Arthur, we're here at the OSHA map library at an exhibition, new exhibition to the ends of the earth and back. Give us an overview of the exhibit. When the OSHA map library folks asked us at the foundation to prepare an exhibition for the map library, we launched into extensive investigation of what was polar exploration all about. And as we got into the subject, we realized that this was really part of a larger theme, the theme of globalization. I guess it's the buzzword in everyone's lips today. So our story of polar exploration really begins at the beginning of Western intellectual life with the Greeks and the Romans, who absolutely knew that the world was round and had a notion that the world was balanced. So the cold regions of the north, which they were familiar with, must be balanced by the cold regions of the south. And since only the tropical or central area was inhabitable, they assumed that there were no peoples living in any of these regions, these what they call the frigid zones. We feel that to get a total picture of any subject, we both need artifactual materials, as well as ephemeral materials. Those things are not designed for the ages, but those things that just are really designed to influence effect and stimulate the populations of the people who are witnesses to the events. And the very early peoples, you mentioned they were aware that it was colder up there, but what was their view of those regions? That they were for the animals and for the primitive peoples, the less evolved peoples. If you get into the complexities of Aristotle and Plato, you realize that they believe that there were levels of humanity, that human creatures rose up through various levels to perfection, of course, they're being at the pinnacle. Tell us a little bit about the map that we're standing in front of now. This exquisite work of art, because it truly is a work of art more than it is a map, is actually the top part of a large globe. What you see here in this allegorical image is Magellan uncovering the globe and showing it to Hermes. Hermes, the god of geography, the god of movement, flight. For centuries, the Northwest Passage and the Northeast Passage were sort of the holy grail for Europeans and people in the Northern Middle Latitudes. Tell us about the sketches that we're standing in front of now. Well, as you say, none of the holy grail, but great deal of treasure and many lives were spent seeking the unobtainable, which was the riches of the Orient by the cold roots of the North, both East and West. And this became a very important popular topic and people followed these expeditions avidly in the daily press. By the middle of the 19th century, these large format tabloid newspapers, not only published stories, but dramatic images of what they conceived of what they imagined was happening on these expeditions, many of which ended tragically and sadly some of which ended heroically. So this part of the exhibition is intended to show some of these illustrations, which are normally called ephemera, things that don't last, and we seek them out and preserve them. What was the level of fascination among the people when they first started to see these sort of stories and reports and images? Well, the idea was to create this as a heroic venture. Especially England spent 50, well, several hundred years were spent by all these people seeking the unobtainable, which today is obtainable. Now the ice packs are melting and ships regularly transverse both the western and the eastern routes to the, to the orient of the Northwest Passage. So we finally, after three or 500 years, or 400 years, have had the ability to reach the orient by the cold routes. The map that we're looking at now is by Henry Hondius, Henrikus Hondius, a great Dutch map maker of the 17th century. This particular example was created in 1639. And as you see, Antarctica, what is nothing this? There's nothing there. There are a few features that are really imagined to change on the islands in the Southwest. But what makes the map attractive and compelling are the beautiful artwork which surrounds this, this, the actual cartographic map itself. You've mentioned that the information was confidential. Would each country keep its own secret maps or did they get out eventually over time to general map makers throughout the world? Well, in the early days, there were absolutely secret information. When you look at the 16th century, early 17th century, before most of this cartographic information was copied and before books contained maps, maps were made manuscripts and they were absolutely state secrets. That was the riches that they were protecting. What was the timeframe in terms of a voyage that would go out and do the sort of exploration? Months and months, years? Usually years, usually years. It took a very long time to get anywhere. And if you were lucky enough to get back, it took at least that long to get back. So an average voyage, that wasn't a trading voyage across the Atlantic. Well, even a voyage across the Atlantic was a round trip would be 14 to 16, 18, 20 weeks, depending on the weather. Some of these exploration voyages lasted many years. The map that we're standing in front of now is simple, but it's very significant. Tell us about it. This is an important map and it indicates the evolution of cartographic knowledge and the ability to make accurate maps. This is a map that was included in the report that James Cook, the circum-mabigator, made from his second voyage around the world. The voyage lasted four or five years and covered 65,000 miles. He was charged with many things to find new lands, to discover Terra Australis, what we call Australia today, an unknown place, but was imagined, had a whole civilization living on it. But a great accomplishment of this voyage was the testing of a clock, a marine clock, that would accurately let them know where they stood and where they were in terms of the north-south axis, I mean the east-west axis. One can get a fairly accurate idea of where one is at by sightings of the sun at the stars at night going north and south, but east and west there's no way to gauge it except judging your speed and having a clock that will let you know how long it's taking you to cover whatever amount of ground you have or water that you've covered. In this particular map, one can see how accurately plotted around various island features Cook was able to establish his location and it is the great and defining moment in accurate map making is this clock that was invented by Harrison and tested by Cook in the 1770s. Well, I think that as we get into the scientific age, now we're kind of broaching from the imaginary and the mythological and the conjectural into the scientific and there's a great leap, there's a great change and there's a great change in the ability to share information. What was one secret now becomes public. What was one secret is now published in multi-volume atlases that have a new picture of the world. When people started to see those new pictures of the world, how did it change their thinking and their perception of their place on earth? Well, this is where you really begin to get the popular concept of globalization which it wasn't called then but people began to see the connectedness of places. Perhaps not the connectedness of people but the connectedness of places and the variety of cultures. All of a sudden, people from all different parts of the planet were able to move around fairly easily, orientals, Africans, Americans. It's a great change in the idea of what we are and who we are as a world culture, as world cultures. Throughout the exhibit, we've been talking about discovery and we're actually standing in front of a picture of a sketch of the Discovery Ship. Tell us about it. The Discovery Ship was built specifically for Antarctic exploration and specifically for Robert Falcon Scott, a captain in the British Navy who was given command of the first scientific exploration of the Antarctic continent and he brought together a team of expert scientists in many fields to do a comprehensive exploration of this huge, huge place that was very different from the North Pole because it really is a continent. There's nothing at the North except floating ice. There is no spot that is the North Pole. The South Pole is on a continent which is actually larger than the continental United States. And what year was this in? The ship was built in 1900 and the expedition lasted three years from 1901 to 1904. Also included in the complement of the crew was a man named Ernest Shackleton who many people know his name because he was dismissed from this expedition by Captain Scott who wrote disparagingly of him in a book that subsequently came out and caused them to become rivals for all of their lives. And what sort of success did they have in this mission? Well, in this mission they were not trying to reach the South Pole. I mean, it would have been nice for them to get there and they tried to go there but their main objective was really the scientific exploration. And what did they find? They brought back a lot of rocks. They did meteorological observations. By today's standards, you can't say they did accomplished a lot. They looked at the animals. They looked at the zoology, the birds, the penguins, the geology. They began at the beginning. They began assembling the basic information which I don't think would impress anyone but a scientist today who realized how long it takes to amass any comprehensive knowledge of a place. Here we have an example of one of the many, many maps that was created for this expedition. It shows the furthest south that Scott reached on his first expedition and also in a vignette it shows you how close or how far he was from the South Pole. In 1910 he returned to the South Pole again making an attempt to reach, I mean return to Antarctica and made an attempt to reach the South Pole. He did reach the South Pole but unfortunately it was a month after a Norwegian named Amundsen where all the Amundsen had gotten there before but they had two different purposes. Amundsen's sole objective was to get to the South Pole. Scott continued his scientific investigation on his return journey due to poor weather and the lack of food. He and the members of his party perished but they perished still dragging in sledges the rock and other scientific equipment trying to make a return to their home base. So really there were two different purposes. There were two different goals and two very, very different men. For you what's the most important thing that people should think about when they come to the exhibit? That's a very good question. I think that people should enjoy the exhibit to look at all of the artifacts and to marvel at the persistence, the bravery, sometimes the foolishness but the dedication of these individuals in achieving their goals. That these were extraordinary individuals extraordinarily driven with a great passion for their work and a great commitment to the future. Today maps are made with GPS and that sort of thing. Is it somewhat less romantic than it was then? Well I would say yet less romantic but also more rewarding in terms of the actual science of it. We have in this exhibit what I think will be fascinating is the first view of Antarctica underneath the ice. The British have been working on making a map that shows the geography of Antarctica with the ice removed and it's quite an extraordinary place. Huge mountains, great valleys and there's even under the ice there's even a great lake in which they found new living creatures. So more than a century later the exploration is still continuing. And will continue. Now Antarctica has avanlies perceived as a place rich in natural resources. Oil, gas, gold, platinum. They found all these elements available for the taking. I think there's a great rush in Antarctica for claiming property.