What led some people to (correctly) believe that there was no land under the ice cap at the North Pole?
score:52
Accepted answer
The answer lies in your second map, and the extensive exploration of Siberia's Arctic sea coast through the 1600's in search of a Northern Passage. Note how well mapped that area has become in the intervening century.
Russian settlers and traders on the coasts of the White Sea, the Pomors, had been exploring parts of the northeast passage as early as the 11th century. By the 17th century they established a continuous sea route from Arkhangelsk as far east as the mouth of Yenisey. This route, known as Mangazeya seaway, after its eastern terminus, the trade depot of Mangazeya, was an early precursor to the Northern Sea Route.
Further, the process by which icebergs are formed by calving from glaciers was well known. The absence of large icebergs in the Arctic Ocean north of the Kara Sea would have strongly suggested the absence of any glaciers, and thus any land, in that corner of the world.
Update
In regards a comment about the sinking of the Titanic:
Titanic sank just south of Iceberg Alley, off the southern tail of the Grand Banks. That is ~1900 km south of Greenland, and ~3800 km south of the Arctic Ocean north of Iceland and Ellesmere Island.
More post
- 📝 Were there any developed countries that became "undeveloped" for reasons other than war?
- 📝 How did pilots know when to release bombs on airplanes during World War2?
- 📝 Did the Roman legions wear this type of boots?
- 📝 Why didn't the Hungarians help the battle of Kosovo?
- 📝 Did George Orwell go by his alias in private life?
- 📝 Who was "Lt.-Commander R.T. Chaloner Woods"?
- 📝 How did Magnus IV of Sweden come of age at 15?
- 📝 1950s, UK-Soviet sporting event
- 📝 What were the demographics and economics of South-East Asian islands around year 1400?
- 📝 Was the U.S. Civil War unique regarding its relation to slavery? (people fighting for the freedom of a goup they were not part of)
- 📝 What was the first documented mention of American English different from British English?
- 📝 Did any Chinese scholars propose a heliocentric model?
- 📝 At what point do armies tend to break?
- 📝 Why was Queretaro chosen as a fail-safe capital of Mexico?
- 📝 How did Mehmed II die?
- 📝 Did the Trojan Horse actually exist?
- 📝 Is this alphabet from tawantinsuyu or is it a modern invention (from the latter centuries)?
- 📝 Where does the name 'D-Day' come from?
- 📝 When did Robert Briscoe die?
- 📝 What Evidence Do We Have For Samaritans Living In Babylon in the 6th or 5th Century BC?
- 📝 Was David Ben-Gurion's marriage to Paula in December 1917 in New York?
- 📝 Why would chickens be blue in the Soviet Union?
- 📝 Has there ever a period in history when people were not killing each other?
- 📝 Why didn't colonial empires exchange their colonies with others empire to make their territories whole?
- 📝 How many Jewish refugee have been expelled out of Arab lands and when?
- 📝 Why did Anwar Sadat establish diplomatic relationship with Israel and did that decision pay off?
- 📝 Is this wrench from 1881, or is it just a serial number?
- 📝 What came before the Zamboni?
- 📝 Why were the Japanese so much better at night flying early in WWII?
- 📝 Was the Waffen-SS an elite force?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What led some people to (correctly) believe that there was no land under the ice cap at the North Pole?
- 📝 What is the evidence to claim that political order in ancient Rome was sufficiently different under "kingdom", "republic" and "empire"?
- 📝 What was the largest land area that Germany has ever controlled?
- 📝 What was the maximum percent of the Soviet territory that was under Nazi control?
- 📝 Why was there calm in Indian-held Kashmir until 1989? What happened in 1989 that triggered the public unrest that still continues to this day?
- 📝 What political events led to the Separate Car Act that was upheld in Plessy v. Ferguson?
- 📝 What happened to people who lived outside a castle when the castle was under siege?
- 📝 What was that book that listed all the rich/influential people and defined socioeconomic status for many Americans?
- 📝 To what degree is Simone Weil correct in arguing that the third Reich under Hitler was merely a revival of imperial Rome?
- 📝 What are some examples of famous people in history who made big mistakes that they learnt from and this then led them to succeed?
- 📝 Was there a melee weapon that was used by many people at the same time?
- 📝 Did Adolf Hitler ever address the fact that his own appearance was almost an exact opposite of what he considered the ideal Aryan appearance?
- 📝 Is there any evidence to support the claim that the United States was "suckered into WW1" by Zionists, made by Benjamin Freedman in his 1961 speech?
- 📝 What is the origin of the stereotype that Polish people lack intelligence?
- 📝 What was the religion of the Arabic people before conversion to Islam?
- 📝 What was the first solar eclipse that was demonstrably predicted in advance?
- 📝 What kind of ink was used by medieval scribes in Iceland, given that there were no plant galls for iron-gall ink?
- 📝 What evidence is there of the vision aids people used before the invention of eyeglasses in about 1286?
- 📝 What was the planned line of succession for the Nazi Party in the event that Hitler died?
- 📝 When was the last documented occasion that Arab or Ottoman slave traders abducted people from Europe?
- 📝 What was the "Favorable result" that the German admiralty was expecting from the naval attack on the Royal Navy in 1918?
- 📝 What was the liquor that was based on petrol which was produced in the USSR during the Second World War?
- 📝 Why did Stephen Ambrose believe that the election of Aaron Burr would have led to the end of the USA?
- 📝 Did the Tamil People discover that the earth was round 2000 years ago?
- 📝 What was the device that general Birdwood was using in the "Gallipoli" TV series?
- 📝 What was the role of Indian princes and aristocratic landowners under British colonial rule?
- 📝 Are there any historians who believe that the crusades were not motivated as a distraction from internal conflicts?
- 📝 Is there convincing evidence that the language of Bulgars (proto-Bulgarians) was not Turkic, but Indo-European?
- 📝 What was the impetus for some African nations to participate in the slave trade?
- 📝 What was the northernmost region/city in the Roman Empire that spoke Greek as the native language?
