Dreams of a Northwest Passage connecting America to Asia tantalized empire builders from the earliest days of New World exploration. But after the Napoleonic Wars, the British turned this fascination into an obsession. Sending out the fleet to explore new trade routes kept the Royal Navy busy and injected new capital into exploration. The rage for trade gripped Victorian England with gusto.
Exploration of the unknown was also driven by national pride, and the 1845 Arctic expedition led by Sir John Franklin generated banner headlines. One of the most grandiose schemes of its day, this highly publicized project was unfortunately doomed from the start, undone by a prevailing scientific belief that the Arctic waters were open and warmed by the North Pole’s proximity to the sun. The reality was crushingly different, and the under-equipped explorers never had a chance.
