Mysteries and Backstories

How the USS Polaris Arctic Expedition Descended Into Chaos


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In 1871, Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall died mysteriously on the ice — his final words: “He’s trying to kill me.” For over a century, no one knew the truth.What followed was chaos: a divided crew, a mutiny, and 19 people stranded on a drifting ice floe for months. The Polaris expedition collapsed into survival, suspicion, and silence.Was it illness, paranoia... or murder?Nearly 100 years later, Hall’s body was exhumed — and what forensic scientists discovered changed Arctic history forever.This is the true story of betrayal, endurance, and a cold case cracked by science.Subscribe for more real-life survival stories, Arctic disasters, and historical mysteries.

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Mysteries and BackstoriesBy J.J.