January 10, 1917: The Shackleton Expedition Gets Home

January 10, 1917: The Shackleton Expedition returns to port, without having lost a man. This was a miracle.

Ernest Henry Shackleton was born on February 15, 1874 in Kikea, County Kildare, Ireland. He moved with his family to Sydenham in South London at age 10. He served under Captain Robert Falcon Scott on the 1901-04 Discovery expedition, giving him his 1st polar experience. They set a new record of reaching 82 degrees South latitude. On the 1907-09 Nimrod expedition, they reached 88 degrees South, just 97 miles from the South Pole. When they got back, Shackleton was knighted by King Edward VII. He was only 35 years old.

Roald Amundsen of Norway reached the Pole in 1911, a few months ahead of Scott, who didn't make it off Antarctica alive. Shackleton turned his attention to the crossing of Antarctica from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end, he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.

Shackleton left Plymouth, Devon England on August 8, 1914 -- just after the start of World War I. They reached Buenos Aires, Argentina, and left there on October 26. On November 5, they got to South Georgia Island, leaving on the Endurance on December 5. They struggled through ice, and set up camp on Luitpold Land on February 22, 1915. They waited for a chance to set sail again, and it never came: On October 27, 1915, Shackleton gave the 27 men with him the order: Abandon ship. They had to make their way across land.

On April 15, 1916, the James Caird, the Stancomb Wills and the Dudley Docker landed on Elephant Island, to check on the Expedition's progress. On April 24, Shackleton returned on the James Caird, to go back to South Georgia Island and get supplies. Twice, Shackleton sailed back on the Southern Sky, to rescue his men, only to be forced back by the ice.

Finally, on August 30, aboard the Yelcho, he got back to Elephant Island, and saved his 22 men, getting them to Punta Arenas, Chile. On January 10, 1917, they got to New Zealand, safe and sound in the British Empire.

They were unaware of the progress of "The Great War." As big a hero as he had been considered to be, when Shackleton, following a short American lecture tour, finally arrived in England on May 29, 1917 -- the day that future President John F. Kennedy was born -- his return was barely noted in the press. All of his adventuring took a toll on his health, and he died of a heart attack on January 5, 1922, only 47 years old.

In his 1956 address to the British Science Association, Sir Raymond Priestley, one of his contemporaries, said, "Scott for scientific method, Amundsen for speed and efficiency. But when disaster strikes, and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton."

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January 10, 1917 was a Wednesday. This was also the day that the "Silent Sentinels," a group advocating for American women's right to vote, began picketing the White House. I have a separate entry for that event.

Baseball and football were out of season. Professional basketball barely existed. This was the last season of the National Hockey Association. One of its teams was a military team, the Toronto 228th Battalion, taking the place of the disbanded Toronto Shamrocks, and with a roster of professional players. On this day, the Montreal Canadiens beat them, 6-1 at the Montreal Arena (a.k.a. the Westmount Arena). The 228th were coached and captained by Howard McNamara, who had played for both the Canadiens and the Shamrocks.

Also on this day, the Quebec Bulldogs beat the Ottawa Senators, 5-4 at the Quebec Arena. And the Toronto Blueshirts beat the Montreal Wanderers, 9-4 at the Mutual Street Arena in Toronto.