an Antarctica expedition on skis
a scuba diver with a jet-propelled submersible
the ship The Endurance, from Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition
Antarctic expedition members collecting ice in a blizzard
two men cooking food with a long-handled frying pan over a fumarole
a research balloon about to launch
a surveying expedition in the Yukon Territory of Canada
glacial studies expedition members trekking across glacial ice, Alaska
an Eskimo encampment and an explorer's vessel in the background
expedition crew members trekking near the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes, Alaska
two expedition members on horseback in Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
expedition team members standing at the North Pole
an expedition member standing on stands on a water-worn iceberg
Mount Everest expedition members in 1924, Tibet
sherpas climbing up a crevasse in Mount Everest
explorers traveling towards Rainbow Bridge, Utah
scuba diver with a jet-propelled submersible
a expedition on frozen lake in Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China
the ship Terra Nova ship icebound in the pack
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Members of a British expedition team pause for a photograph while skiing through Antarctica. The group, led by Royal Navy officer Robert Falcon Scott, began their trek through the icy tundra in 1910. Though Scott and four crew members reached the South Pole in 1912, the entire team perished on their return journey.
Photograph by Herbert G. Ponting, National Geographic

Legendary Photos from Historic National Geographic Expeditions

Look back at National Geographic's epic adventures through these classic and previously unpublished images.

ByLindsay N. Smith
October 4, 2017

National Geographic has been exploring the world and bringing back its most compelling stories since 1888. At its start, the Society sought to promote public understanding of science and “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge.” With those lofty goals in mind, it funded expeditions around the globe—supporting explorers who trekked to the North and South Poles, documented wildlife in oceans and forests, climbed towering mountains, and excavated ancient ruins.

Follow the journeys of these intrepid adventurers in this gallery of historic National Geographic photographs.

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