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Polar Explorer Historian Roland Huntford Dies at 98

2/7/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Roland Huntford, a journalist and historian known for polar exploration, died January 23 in Cambridge, England, at age 98.
The Fram Museum in Oslo announced his death.
Huntford challenged the heroic narrative surrounding the 1912 South Pole expedition.
He spent 15 years as The Observer's Scandinavian correspondent, embracing Nordic culture and skiing.
His research highlighted the race between Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen, who reached the South Pole first, and that Scott and his crew perished on their return 11 miles from safety.

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Story summary

Roland Huntford, a journalist and historian known for polar exploration, died January 23 in Cambridge, England, at age 98.
The Fram Museum in Oslo announced his death.
Huntford challenged the heroic narrative surrounding the 1912 South Pole expedition.
He spent 15 years as The Observer's Scandinavian correspondent, embracing Nordic culture and skiing.
His research highlighted the race between Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen, who reached the South Pole first, and that Scott and his crew perished on their return 11 miles from safety.