Man always considered himself the master of the Earth and wanted to learn as much as possible about his "home". Distant lands and unexplored places attracted researchers of all times and peoples. Russian navigators F. Bellingshausen and M. Lazarev were lucky to make the discovery of Antarctica, the legend of the existence of which lived for many centuries. January 27, 1820 they approached the shores of Antarctica and were struck by its vast expanses of ice. This event went down in history as the most significant achievement in the field of world geography.
In February 1821, a team of sailors led by Captain John Davis made the first landing on the icy continent. Travelers spent in harsh conditions on the mainland all winter, they were saved only in the summer. Many historians do not believe in this fact, since Antarctica is the most inaccessible zone.
The first assumption that the sixth mainland exists, was tried to confirm the English navigator James Cook. However, he did not swim to the mainland and claimed that it was impossible to go farther south than he did. Therefore, attempts to find the mysterious land temporarily stopped, and the discovery of Antarctica took place almost 40 years later.
Some researchers believe that the history of the discovery of Antarctica began before the 19th century. There is an assumption that even in ancient times people knew about the existence of this ice continent. One of the mainland mysteries is the theory of the life of ancient peoples on the territory of modern Antarctica. This theory says that ancient geographers learned about Antarctica from the "Antarctica" - the inhabitants of the southern continent.
Plato claimed that Antarctica was inhabited by people before the glaciation. The ancient Greek philosopher based his assumptions on the texts and descriptions of ancient Egyptian civilization. To these peoples, Plato attributed magical abilities and extensive knowledge of the origin of the universe. It is not only known whether these were just guesses and theories or exact information, but the fact that the ancient writings mention the existence of the sixth continent is a fact.
The discovery of Antarctica has revived many secrets and myths. Studying the ancient maps of seafarers, scientists came to the conclusion that before Antarctica was not covered with ice, and the climate on the mainland was mild. Ancient mariners compiled these maps using even older sources, the origin of which is still unknown.
US researchers studying the alleged Atlantis have noticed that the outlines of Atlantis and Antarctica are very similar. It can be assumed that the mysterious Atlantis is hiding under the ice.
The discovery of Antarctica is a significant event in the history of world finds. About two hundred years have passed since the opening, but we were able to learn very little about this continent. Antarctica contains many secrets and mysteries generated by the imagination of man. What is there, under the thickness of ice, is still unknown. And the processes taking place on the surface of the continent have also not yet been studied. One can only speculate based on the very distant and vague readings of modern instruments. One can only hope that the mysteries of Antarctica will one day be solved. However, we can say with confidence that secrets will last for many generations to come.