10 little-known facts about Fridtjof Nansen
(1861-1930).
Nansen dismissed the crossing of Greenland on skis which made him
famous as a "ski tour"
Nansen never made it to either pole
Nansen revolutionised polar research by opting for speed and lightness
over massive organisational support.
Nansen also designed a crush-proof ship called Fram for polar exploration,
and was the first person to realise that one could float towards the
North Pole on current-borne ice.
Nansen was a pioneer neurologist, scientist and visionary researcher
into the mechanisms of the nerves.
Nansen was quite a ladies man, and seduced Kathleen Scott (wife of
Scott of the Antarctic) even while her husband was writing her his final
words on the ill-fated trip from which he never returned.
Nansen was a manic-depressive
Nansen loved Goethe, identifying himself with Dr Faustus.
After Nansen hung up his skis for the last time he was sent as Norway's
ambassador to Lenin's Moscow.
Nansen was married twice and had five children
For more information, read Nansen: The Explorer as Hero by Roland
Huntford (Duckworth, 1998)
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