Nathaniel Palmer Discovers Antarctica: First American on the Peninsula
Twenty-one-year-old seal hunter Nathaniel Palmer steered his tiny 47-foot sloop Hero through Antarctic waters and became the first American to sight the Antarctic Peninsula. His discovery opened the region to commercial sealing and whaling fleets, beginning the era of human exploitation that would eventually prompt international treaties to protect the continent.
November 18, 1820
206 years ago
What Else Happened on November 18
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