Descent into the Ice: The Fatal Arrogance of the Arctic Balloon

In 1897, Swedish explorer Salomon August Andree devised a plan to conquer the North Pole that was equal parts brilliant and suicidal. He intended to fly over the deadly ice caps in a massive, unsteerable hydrogen balloon. Driven by fierce nationalistic pride and an unwavering belief in untested technology, Andree ignored every warning sign. He relied on a bizarre drag-rope steering invention tha...