The first chapter begins by introducing the main character of the story, world-famous British explorer Ernest Henry Shackleton. He is known for being “the first explorer to come within 100 miles of the South Pole” in 1908 (2). After two other explorers reach the interior of the continent a few years later—Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen on December 14, 1911, and Captain Robert F. Scott of England five weeks later, on January 17, 1912—Shackleton decides to become the first to actually cross it. Although many have mapped the fringes of Antarctica over the past century and a half, most of the interior remains uncharted. For his proposed voyage, which he begins planning in 1913, Shackleton receives widespread support throughout England. He easily raises money for the journey, particularly through monetary advances “based on future sales of film and photo rights” (5). Shackleton has previously formed a film syndicate due to the success of his expedition photographer, Frank Hurley.  

For his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, Shackleton purchases a coal-powered ship specifically designed to plow through the thick ice. Originally called Polaris, Shackleton renames it Endurance after his family motto, “By endurance we conquer”(7).