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NPR @npr.org · 08/08/2025

JUST IN: Lovell commanded the mission that almost ended in disaster after an explosion that threatened the crew's oxygen and electrical supply. The inspiring story of their survival was made into a hit movie.

n.pr

Famed NASA astronaut and Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell has died at age 97

Lovell commanded the mission that almost ended in disaster after an explosion that threatened the crew's oxygen and electrical supply. The inspiring story of their survival was made into a hit movie.

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James Fitzjames @captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social · 07/07/2025

I'm going through John Barrow Jr's Franklin Search correspondence & found this fun overview Captain Henry Kellett sent him of the captains of the vessels in the 1852-54 Search. Steady Sherry & Irish Macca!! [Kellett to Barrow Jr. 26 April 1852] #NavalHistory

Assistance - (Edward Belcher) - Ned
North Star - (William Pullen) - Bill
Resolute - (Henry Kellett) - HK
Pioneer - (Sherard Osborn) - Steady Sherry
Intrepid - (Leopold McClintock) - Irish Macca

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Alison @finger-post.blog · 15/05/2025

It's exactly 171 years since #FranklinSearch ships HMS Resolute and HMS Intrepid were abandoned in the Arctic by The Odious Edward Belcher. No, I'm not over it.

Image shows a colour plate from George Frederick McDougall's 1857 book The Eventful Voyage of HM Discovery Ship Resolute In The Arctic Regions. McDougall's art shows two beautiful ships being abandoned in the ice. The ships' companies are setting up sails on the sledges that will take them - and what little possessions they were allowed to carry - to Beechey Island.

In the lower left of the image, one of the sailors is pointing a rifle at something we can't see. I'd love to tell you it was Edward Belcher, but sadly he made it back to the UK in one syphilitic piece.

The Odious Edward Belcher. Image shows a horrid old white man with the complexion of a heavy drinker. He is wearing a frogged-out naval uniform and the world's most punchable smirk.

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Alexa Price, Ph.D. @downeast-alexa.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

*crosses out “planting flags” and replaces it with “putting tariffs”*

An embroidery hoop with five cross stitched penguins walking on ice across the bottom third of the fabric. Cross-stitch cursive script filling the rest of the space says “strange men planting flags on our land is no basis for a system of government”

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Alison @finger-post.blog · 31/03/2024

"...if intelligence be not received, before the 31st March of the officers and crews of HMS Erebus and Terror being alive, they will be considered as having died in service." This "sentence of death", as Lady Franklin described it, fell on the #FranklinExpedition OTD in 1854. #NavalHistory

The front page of the 1845 muster book of HMS Erebus (TNA ADM 38/672).

A note at the bottom reads "Officers & Ships Company are to be considered as having died in the Service & the Wages are to be paid to their Relatives to 31 March 1854".

The front page of the 1845 muster book of HMS Terror (TNA ADM 38/1962).

A note at the bottom reads "Officers & Ships Company are to be considered as having died in the Service & the Wages are to be paid to their Relatives to 31 March 1854".

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James Fitzjames @captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

31 March 1854. The bureaucratic death of the Franklin Expedition: "Officers and ships Company are to be considered as having died in the Service & their wages are to be paid to their Relatives to 31 March 1854" [HMS Erebus muster, The National Archives] #NavalHistory

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Nick @profmassa.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

Strange question, does anyone know what fur is wrapped around Ross in this painting?

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Nick @profmassa.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

New additions to the polar library. Halls second book and Woodwards biography of Jane Franklin. Halls book came with a lovely map.

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Worst Journey @worstjourney.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

Anne Strathie, polar biographer and excellent person, is giving a talk at the RGS on her newest book, Monday 27 Jan 14:30 GMT. Register online to attend in person or join the Zoom livestream: www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

rgs.org

A history of polar exploration in 50 objects

Anne returns with her fourth polar book to talk about objects from a period of exploration.

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Alison @finger-post.blog · 17/01/2025

Robert Anstruther Goodsir died OTD in 1895, aged 71. Much of his life is opaque. But what we /do/ have shows a brave, brilliant, compassionate man, who often put himself at great risk to help others. He's also the best writer by far of all the people who searched for the #FranklinExpedition.

Image shows a very goth gravestone. There is a bronze bas relief of sail ships in an icy landscape near the top. The inscription reads:

Robert Anstruther Goodsir M.D.
Arctic explorer and traveller who in 1849 sailed in the ship "Advice" in search of the Franklin Expedition and again in 1850 as surgeon accompanied the expedition fitted out for the same purpose by Lady Franklin.

Born 1823
Died 1895

The grave is located in Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh.

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Alison @finger-post.blog · 17/01/2025

He wasn't the only brother or son or uncle who went to the Arctic looking for a much-loved missing family member on Erebus or Terror. But he appears to be the only one whose account has survived, albeit hidden under a pseudonym in an Australian newspaper. finger-post.blog/robert-goods...

finger-post.blog

Part one: Australia, 1880 - THERE STOOD NO FRIENDLY FINGER-POST TO GUIDE US

In 1880, an astonishing account of a search for the Franklin Expedition was published in Australia. The author was Robert Anstruther Goodsir.

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James Fitzjames @captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

So pleased to finally see Fitzjames represented at the National Maritime Museum Greenwich! His saving of a man from drowning at great personal risk was indeed heroic. 👏 His adoptive father Robert Coningham was so proud that Fitzjames was awarded this cup & gave it a place of honour in his house.

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Alison @finger-post.blog · 01/01/2025

It's 179 years since John Torrington, stoker on HMS Terror, died on board his ship at Beechey Island in Nunavut. This is the most legible of the three #FranklinExpedition gravemarkers now under the loving care of the Government of Nunavut’s Heritage Collections at Gatineau, QC.

Image shows the original grave marker erected on Beechey Island, Nunavut, above the grave of John Torrington of HMS Terror. The inscription reads:

SACRED
TO
THE MEMORY OF
JOHN TORRINGTON,
WHO DEPARTED
THIS
LIFE JANUARY 1st
AD.1846,
ON BOARD of
H·M·SHIP TERROR,
AGED 20 YEARS

Photo by Logan Zachary/illuminatorblog

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Alison @finger-post.blog · 31/12/2024

Few people have embodied the oral history of the #FranklinExpedition as completely as Tookoolito (Hannah). Her many achievements as interpreter and guide came at great personal cost. She died OTD in 1876, aged only 38. www.atlasobscura.com/articles/too...

A magic lantern slide. Image shows Inuit - a woman, Tookoolito (Hannah) on the left and a man, Ebierbing (Joe) on the right. There is a bearded white man in the middle.

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Meghan Jenkinson @palaeo-meghan.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

Merychippus everyone 🎄🐎

Screenshot of the wikipedia page for Merychippus, a proto-horse that lived in North America 15.97-5.33 million years ago. It had three toes on each foot.

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Alexa Price, Ph.D. @downeast-alexa.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Also since it’s Antarctic kitten time, this is an older drawing that I’m not particularly proud of but I put a filter over it so here, have some kittens and a perplexed Ross

A graphite drawing of a man in naval uniform sitting in front of the windows of the captain’s cabin in a sailing ship, next to a table. There are two kittens on the table. One is inspecting a teacup and the other is on its hind legs looking for attention

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Alasdair Beckett-King @misterabk.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

Every Videogame From 1954. Happy Holidays!

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sickorax @ripeteeth.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

behold my greatest piece of terror fanart: captain francis claw-zier

digital sketch of a plump orange cat looking extremely put out, wearing a naval captain’s hat

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Derbyshire Record Office @derbyshiredro.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

#OnThisDay in 1824 #SirJohnFranklin replied to his wife, Eleanor, about Christmas arrangements and the size of that flag. Apparently the size she's been given is for a ship, whereas he only needs her to make one big enough for a boat. #FranklinExpedition

First page of a handwritten letter, dated Harrington 16th December 1824.

Detail from the letter which reads 'The flag you have is the size for a ship. I think three yards long by two wide sufficiently large for a boat – if my Naval Man should call before you commence, consult him, if not let that be the Size.'

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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 10/12/2024

A new JWST deep field. All the eight-sided features are local stars in the Milky Way. Everything else is a galaxy. EVERYTHING ELSE IS A GALAXY.

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Derbyshire Record Office @derbyshiredro.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

#OnThisDay in 1824 Eleanor Franklin wrote to her husband, arctic explorer #SirJohnFranklin, about Christmas preparations and to say that the Admiralty had sent a flag for his next expedition. But was it the right size? Find out when he replies on the 16th... #FranklinExpedition

First page of a handwritten letter dated Friday December 10, 18hrs.

Detail of the letter which reads 'Commissioner Thomson has sent the Flag, but it is five yards long by three wide, which is longer than you led me to expect, and I shall be obliged by your letting me know when you write what size I am to make mine, as I find there is some work in it, and am anxious to begin.'

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James Fitzjames @captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

On 9 December 1898, John Barrow died in his 90th year. In the village of Kingham where he lived, he was known as somebody who was "always ready with purse & sympathy to relieve the distressed." He had, of course, also been Fitzjames' beloved & devoted friend. #NavalHistory #MilitaryHistory #19thC

Page of John Barrow's journal from 1870, with a picture of Barrow in his Paddington Rifles uniform. My picture of journal in the collection of the Weston Library, Oxford.

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Nick @profmassa.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Nothing suspicious going on here

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Dr Ella Hawkins @ellamchawk.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Centuries ago, many astronomical books included moving parts to help readers interpret the world around them. This biscuit recreates a diagram from Sacrobosco’s ‘De Sphaera’ (c.1550). It could be used to calculate the changing length of daylight hours through the year. 🍪

Two biscuits stacked on top of one another, designed to look like a rotating diagram from an early modern astronomical book. The lower biscuit is circular and features a series of horizontal lines and tiny numbers in an early modern font. The top biscuit is roughly in the shape of boat: the 'mast' area reads 'zenith'; the main body of the shape features tiny figures in historical dress holding astronomical instruments and a Latin motto reading 'Nulla dies sine linea'.

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James Fitzjames @captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Captain Francis Rawdon Moira Crozier. Looking very sweet and polite. [Royal Geographical Society] #PolarExploration #FranklinExpedition

Oil portrait of Captain Francis Crozier in naval uniform.

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Ross Expedition @rossexpedition.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

Sources thread! • Logs of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C... • James Clark Ross (Captain, Erebus) - 1847 expedition narrative (2 vols.) archive.org/details/voya..., archive.org/details/voya...

archive.org

A voyage of discovery and research in the southern and Antarctic regions, during the years 1839-43 : Ross, James Clark, Sir,1800-1862 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

statement of responsibility: by Captain Sir James Clark Ross.

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Derbyshire Record Office @derbyshiredro.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Though Derbyshire is a landlocked county, we have a surprising amount of #archives relating to #maritimehistory. Find out more in our research guide: recordoffice.wordpress.com/2022/01/20/m... #history

Colour print of the "Discovery of Land by H.M.S. Investigator, 6 Sep 1850", showing a white-sailed sailing ship amongst ice floes under a cloudy night sky.

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Alasdair Beckett-King @misterabk.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

The Thin Man from 1934 is a screwball comedy noir set on a snowy Xmas eve in New York. A married couple drink a lot and solve a murder, and they have a cute dog. The sequel is set on New Year's eve and they're both delightful.

William Powell and Myrna Loy with Ada the dog. A black and white press shot of a fashionable 1930s heiress and her detective husband.

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Aaron (Val)🦊🔪🌟🍪🏔️ @valsparkle.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

As winter is approaching please make sure to dress for the weather, not for style

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Nick @profmassa.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

An excellent round up of Franklin Expedition news. open.substack.com/pub/loganzac...

open.substack.com

illuminator newsletter #36

Upcoming: Terror Camp IV.

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James Fitzjames @captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Very special to see the HMS Erebus muster book in person! I'll go and see the one of HMS Terror next time. Fitzjames' signature is so faded. 🥲 [The National Archives, my pic] #NavalHistory #FranklinExpedition

Muster book of HMS Erebus with signatures of all of the officers.

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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

things are only looking üp and by things, we mean everyone, because the inevitable has happened and the hog now has height as well as width

A diagram of the world's tallest buildings: the Empire State building, the Petronas Towers, all the way to Burj Dubai. Yet there's also another challenger who's entered the fray: because shadowing Burj Dubai stands 'MERL Bluesky pig', reaching almost 700m high.

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wayne szalinski @jjirons.bsky.social · 24/11/2024

whomst among us hasn't made a few mistakes, a few tiny itty bitty teeny tiny mistakes #theterror

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Derbyshire Record Office @derbyshiredro.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

We have also written several blog posts about #SirJohnFranklin, his connection to Derbyshire and the records we hold: recordoffice.wordpress.com?s=Sir+John+F... #franklinexpedition #history #archives #arctic

A series of mounted photographs, entitled 'Officers of the "Erebus" and "Terror". Underneath the portraits is printed: "Sailed from England 19th May 1845 in search of the North West passage. "The white North has their bones"

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Nick @profmassa.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Getting some sun on this somewhat overcast day.

A tuxedo cat laying on her back to get the warm sun on her belly.

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Cats of Yore @catsofyore.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

"Angora Cat" 1925. woodblock-print.eu/norbertine-b...

Linocut print of a longhaired white cat sitting on a grey pillow. The cat's fur is rendered in thick cream and grey lines over white, giving it a wild, wispy appearance. The cat looks toward the viewer with a bright and intelligent expression.

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Levi Hastings @levihastings.bsky.social · 17/11/2024

Let's show off our blue art! Requote with 💙🖌️ This piece is titled "Safe Passage" and was originally created as a holiday card+print a few years back.

Digital illustration depicting a pod of whales swimming through a field of giant icebergs beneath an arctic aurora borealis. #marinelife #mammals #marinemammals #whales #arctic #wildlifeart #wildlifeillustration #sciart #levihastingsart

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Cold Boy Events @coldboyevents.bsky.social · 01/10/2024

Registration for Terror Camp 2024 is now open! When: December 6-8, 2024 Program & registration: www.terror.camp/2024-program What: "Since 2021, Terror Camp has been an annual virtual gathering of hundreds of polar exploration enthusiasts." (1/2) #TerrorEvents #PolarExploration #FranklinExpedition

terror.camp

2024 Program | Terror Camp

Terror Camp is back in 2024, featuring Polar presentations from all over the world.

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Nick @profmassa.bsky.social · 06/11/2024

Oh boy, can't wait for the Neo-Confederacy. We're such a joke.

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