Short Biography
Fridtjof Nansen was born on 10-10-1861 in Oslo, Norway. He was a Norwegian Explorer, Scientist, Writer, Diplomat & Politician.
Fridtjof Nansen Complete Bio & Career
Fridtjof Nansen completed his schooling in Oslo and after which, he cleared University’s entrance exams and decided to study Zoology. He always wanted to do something related to science but he gained fame as a renowned explorer initially.
During his younger days, he was into sports and was an accomplished skier, swimmer, and skater. He was also a keen fisherman and hunter as well. It was in the year 1882, when he boarded a ship to explore and in this around four and a half month journey he brought out the scientist in him and which he has described in his book which he published years after this trip. He then started working as the zoological curator at the famous Bergen Museum in Norway. During the next six years of his life which he spent there, he did various observations and visited almost all the best laboratories on the continent.
One thing which kept his mind occupied was to make a plan to explore Greenland whose interior part was yet to be explored. He finally made up his mind to explore that and made a team of 13 men, he sailed from Kristiania in 1893. He along with 6 men survived an unbearable -45degree C temperature and climbed nearly 9000 feet above the sea level. He finally reached and after spending around two months there to explore the interior, he brought with him some of the most vital information about the interior of Greenland.
On return, he joined the Zootomical Institute at the University of Oslo in Norway and meanwhile published various articles and his books titled Eskimo Life and Crossing of Greenland. He didn’t stop exploring and next set out on a trip to the North Pole with one of his companion in 1895. This high adventure voyage was carried out on his ship, Fram. He published as many as six volumes of his observations. He continued his oceanic research and was thus appointed as oceanography professor in 1908. After which, he dealt with various humanitarian efforts and saved many lives. He started his own organization called Nansen International Office for Refugees.