From Scott's ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic, through successive attempts on Everest from Shipton in the 1930s through to Hillary's successful climb in 1953, and on through the conquest of space to the mapping and charting of the world's last unexplored territories, this work covers all the major explorers and expeditions of the 20th century. Illustrated with rare photos from the archives of "The Times", the book is a testament to the adventurers who sought to push back the bounds of human exploration and to penetrate the world's most harsh and threatening environments. Proceeding decade by decade and within these looking at each area of global exploration in turn, it provides a complete chronological and geographical overview of exploration in the 20th century.