In July of 1897, three men were carried into the sky inside a hydrogen balloon with the goal of being the first to reach the North Pole. The fate of their ambitious expedition remained a mystery for decades until the 1930’s, when a chance discovery unveiled the location of their final camp. But that revelation only gave rise to more puzzling questions  we are still trying to answer today.

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For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodes

Sources:  History, The New Yorker, Balloon Museum, Aurora Expeditions, National Geographic, Smithsonian

Scary Interesting , A Nordic Heart

Book – The Expedition: Solving a Polar Tragedy by Bea Uusma

Thank you to the week’s partners!

Boll and Branch: Use our link to get 15% off, plus free shipping on your first set of sheets.

Soul:  For 30% off your order, head to GetSoul.com and use code NPAD.

IQBAR: Text PARK to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products and free shipping.

Naked Wines: To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to NakedWines.com/NPAD and use code NPAD for both the code AND PASSWORD.