When the three Swedes Salomon August Andrée, Knut Frænkel and Nils Strindberg set off in a hydrogen balloon on July 11, 1897, the North Pole was a blank spot on the map. Expedition leader Andrée wanted to map the area and take the first aerial photographs of the territory. The start took place in Spitsbergen, Norway, a thousand kilometers from the destination. There were 36 racing pigeons in attendance. They should keep the world informed about what is happening in the eternal ice. They should, because contact soon broke off.
