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1-50 of 191
- Director
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Born in Carlow, Ireland. Came to USA c. 1890. Worked as stage actor, engineer, antique dealer, gold miner. Entered silent film industry as actor in 1912; most noted film as actor was Captain Alvarez (1914) for Vitagraph. Directed first film for Balboa Films in 1914. Subsequently directed for American Film, Favorite Players, Pallas, Morosco, Fox, Famous Players-Lasky, Select, Realart and Paramount. Served in the British Army 1918-1919 then resumed his Hollywood career. Served as president of the Motion Picture Directors' Association for three terms. Stars he directed included Mary Pickford Dustin Farnum Wallace Reid and Mary Miles Minter . Directed Davy Crockett (1915) , Tom Sawyer (1917) , Anne of Green Gables (1919) and Huckleberry Finn (1920) among others. His unsolved murder in 1922 remains one of Hollywood's greatest mysteries.- Actor
- Producer
- Director
One of the first black superstars of popular entertainment, Egbert Austin Williams, although born in the Bahamas, was raised largely in California. Nursing show business aspirations early on, he teamed with boyhood friend George Walker to form a highly successful vaudeville act, which continued until the ravages of syphilis brought about Walker's retirement and premature death in 1909. Two years later, Williams joined the Ziegfeld Follies and experienced perhaps his greatest fame as one of its' star comedians until his death. Although he played the (then) typical stereotype of the slow-witted, dialect-spouting black, and had to wear burnt cork to disguise his true ethnicity, he still managed to project an elan and style that was all his own, gently mocking the various stereotypes even as he was playing them. His recordings on American Columbia records were best-sellers in their time. An intelligent, articulate man privately, he was bitterly disappointed in a society that could applaud him onstage, yet still treat him like a second-class citizen off stage. Although he lived at one of the city's top hotels during his years in New York, he always had to ride the service elevator to his suite rather than come in by the main entrance. Ill health in his last years, primarily hypertension and lung trouble, brought about his early death at the age of only 47, while he was still a headliner. Long and happily married, he and his wife had no children but raised a niece and nephew.- Writer
- Additional Crew
Marcel Proust was a French intellectual, author and critic, best known for his seven-volume fiction 'In search of Lost Time'. He coined the term "involuntary memory", which became also known as "Proust effect" in modern psychology.
He was born Valentin Louis Georges Eugéne Marcel Proust, on July 10, 1871, in Paris, France. His father, Achille Proust, was a famous doctor. His mother, Jeanne Weil, was from a rich and cultured Jewish family. Proust's interests in art and literature were encouraged by his mother, who read and spoke English. He was fond of Carlyle, Emerson and John Ruskin, whose two works he also translated into French. From age 9 Proust suffered from severe allergy and asthma attacks, and eventually developed a chronic lung disease which caused his disability and affected his career and mobility. He was lucky to survive such a life threatening condition due to professional help from his doctor father. Proust's physical disability imposed serious restrictions on his lifestyle, and he expressed himself in writing. He was blessed with talent and imagination and also with a very large inheritance, that allowed him to write without any pressure. During the most years of his adult life Proust was confined to his cork-wood paneled bedroom, where he was attended mostly by his close friend, pianist and composer Reynaldo Hahn.
Proust's main work, 'A la recherche du temps perdu' was begun in 1909 and finished in 1922, just before the author's death. It also became known in English as 'In Search of Lost Time' (aka.. Remembrance of Things Past). The novel's life-like complexity and delicate fabric of language is influenced by his reading of Lev Tolstoy, especially by 'War and Peace' and 'Anna Karenina', and it bears some structural and contentual resemblance of Tolstoy's major novels. It is spanning over 3000 pages in seven volumes and teeming with more than 2000 names. Proust's novel is set in the fictional town of Combray, near Paris, and covers all aspects of life of the upper class; nobility, sexuality, women, men, art and culture. It was praised from Graham Greene, W. Somerset Maugham and Ernest Hemingway, as being the greatest fiction of their time.
Marcel Proust died at age 51, of complications related to pneumonia and his chronic health condition, on November 18, 1922, and was laid to rest in Cimetiére du Pére-Lachaise, Paris, France. The town of Illiers, which became the model for imaginary town of Combray in the novel, was renamed Illiers-Combray in commemoration of the Proust's masterpiece.- Writer
- Actor
H.V. Esmond was born on 30 November 1869 in London, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for The Truth About Youth (1930), One Summer's Day (1917) and Tense Moments with Great Authors (1922). He was married to Eva Moore. He died on 17 April 1922 in Paris, France.- Lillian Russell was born on 4 December 1860 in Clinton, Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Wildfire (1915), La Tosca (1911) and Potted Pantomimes (1914). She was married to Alexander Pollock Moore, Giovanni Perugini, Edward Solomon and Harry Braham. She died on 6 June 1922 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Roy Redgrave was born on 26 April 1873 in England, UK. He was an actor, known for Our Friends the Hayseeds (1917), Robbery Under Arms (1920) and The Christian (1911). He was married to Margaret Scudamore, Ellen Maud Pratt (aka Judith Kyrle) and Esther Mary Cooke (aka Ettie Carlyle). He died on 25 May 1922 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
- Child star Bobby Connelly, the son of vaudeville actors, was born April 4, 1909 in Brooklyn, New York. He made his first screen appearance in 1912. In 1913, he joined the Vitagraph Company, whose studio was just a short distance from his home. While at Vitagraph, he starred in a series of shorts as the character "Sonny Jim." Bobby studied violin, which came in handy when he was cast as the young violinist Leon Kantor in the 1920 film version of "Humoresque." Reportedly he was one of the highest paid child actors in the world. At one point, he headed a vaudeville company. In 1922, Bobby became ill for three months, suffering from bronchitis, aggravated by an enlarged heart. Sadly, he passed away on July 6, 1922, at his home in Lynbrook, Long Island.
- Music Department
Composer, organist, pianist, conductor. publisher who arrived in the USA in 1889. He studied music with Niels Gade and Cornelius Gurlitt; in the Royal Conservatory in Leipzig with Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner. He founded a publishing firm in Hamburg. He was a conductor and organist in New York churches, and conducted band concerts in the old Madison Square Garden. He organized a 75-woman orchestra for the Atlantic Garden in New York. He joined ASCAP n 1936, and composed the following works: "Maximillan Overture"; "Royal Overture"; "La Rose Intermezzo"; "Our Heroes March"; "Pilgrims Love Song"; "Our Students March"; "Pilgrims Love Song"; "Our Heroes March"; and "Olympia Overture".- Alexander Graham Bell was born on 3 March 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. He was married to Mabel Hubbard. He died on 2 August 1922 in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Canada.
- Frank Opperman was born in 1861 in Houston, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for During the Round-Up (1913), An Indian's Loyalty (1913) and Neighbors (1912). He died on 26 April 1922 in San Diego, California, USA.
- Soundtrack
Luigi Denza was born on 24 February 1846 in Castellammare di Stabia, Campania, Italy. He died on 26 January 1922 in London, England, UK.- Leonard Robson was born in 1867 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for Why Men Forget (1921), Married Life (1921) and The Twelve Pound Look (1920). He died on 25 April 1922 in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.
- Florence Deshon born to Samuel and Florence C. Danks of Austrian and English descent. She began as a stage actress and appeared opposite Mary Boland in 'My Lady's Dress and in the comedy 'Seven Chances' prior to making her screen debut in 1915's 'The Beloved Vagabond' directed by Edward Jose for Pathe, Florence starred in 24 silent melodrama and crime movies but perhaps her best known was 'The Desired Woman' directed by Paul Scardon and co-starring Harry T. Morey for the Vitagraph Film Company in 1918 and her final film as Sally McTurk in John Francis Dillon's 'The Roof Tree' with William Russell for the Fox Film Co in 1921. She moved to Greenwich Village, New York in hope to resume her film career but on the 4th February she was found unconscious on the third floor of her apartment building, a window was open in her bedroom but illuminating gas flowed from a opened jet, a newspaperwoman, Minnie Morris, found Deshon, an Ambulance took her to Hospital, but attempts to revive her were unsuccessful, she died the following afternoon, adding that the only mystery was why 'with the apartment especially wired for electricity, Miss Deshon should have used the single gas jet in the room and forgotten to turn it off, some say she had no reason to kill herself and that her death was accidental, the New York Medical Examiner concluded her death was accidental but rumors persisted that she might have committed suicide because of grief.
- Michael Collins was born on 16 October 1890 in Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland. He died on 22 August 1922 in Beal-na-Blath, County Cork, Ireland.
- Géza Gárdonyi was born on 3 August 1863 in Agárd, Hungary. He was a writer, known for Göre Gábor bíró úr pesti kalandozásai (1914), Aggyisten Biri! (1927) and Göre Gábor bíró uram legújabb eresztése (1922). He was married to Mária Molnár Csányi. He died on 30 October 1922 in Eger, Hungary.
- Ogai Mori was born on 17 February 1862 in Tsuwano, Shimane, Japan. He was a writer, known for Sansho the Bailiff (1954), Takasebune (1930) and Gan (1953). He was married to Mori Shigeru and Akamatsu Toshiko. He died on 9 July 1922 in Tokyo, Japan.
- Additional Crew
- Producer
- Director
Karger was married to Ann Conley of the "Ann & Effie Conley Sisters" Vaudeville Act. He was one of the original founders and the general manager of Metro Pictures in New York before they moved to Hollywood and merged with Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer to form MGM Pictures. His son Fred Karger was a composer and a vocal coach at Columbia Pictures. Romantically involved with a young Marilyn Monroe from 1948-1949, Fred broke with Monroe, and eventually married Jane Wyman in 1952.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
René Cresté was born on 5 December 1881 in Paris, France. He was an actor and director, known for L'Aventure de René (1922), Judex (1916) and Judex: Prologue + L'ombre mystérieuse (1917). He died on 30 November 1922 in Paris, France.- Henry Weaver was born on 21 June 1858 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was an actor, known for Gloria's Romance (1916), Manon Lescaut (1914) and Clover's Rebellion (1917). He was married to Mary Stella Boniface (actress). He died on 9 May 1922 in Sea Bright, New Jersey, USA.
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Henri Pouctal was born on 21 October 1860 in La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, Seine-et-Marne, France. He was a director and actor, known for La dame aux camélias (1912), L'instinct (1916) and Volonté (1917). He died on 2 February 1922 in Paris, France.- Brilliant stage and screen actor Charles Eldridge was born in New York in 1854. Starred on the drama and comedy theatre from the 1870's. Occasionally known as Mr. Eldridge became a white haired gentleman who starred and supported in more than 160 melodrama, comedy and crime movies, with the Vitagraph Film Company from 1910, making his film debut as the old farmer in 'The Legacy' co-starring Mary Maurice. His most notable role was as Jabee Smith in many of the 'Mr. Jarr' comedies starring Harry Davenport in 1915. Mr. Eldridge left Vitagraph in 1916 to worked for several other film companies including IMP, Victor, Rolfe, Columbia, Stubert and last with Goldwyn and Fox until his death from cancer in 1922 age 68.
- Paul Mounet was born on 5 October 1847 in Bergerac, Dordogne, France. He was an actor, known for The Return of Ulysses (1909), Macbeth (1909) and L'héritière (1910). He was married to Philippine Madeleine André Barbot. He died on 10 February 1922 in Paris, France.
- Barry Baxter was born on 5 August 1894 in Winchester, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Captain Swift (1920). He died on 27 May 1922 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Actor
Cardiff Giant was born on 27 December 1881 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. He was an actor. He was married to Elizabeth . He died on 30 November 1922.- Writer
- Director
Bannister Merwin was born in 1873 in Litchfield, Connecticut, USA. He was a writer and director, known for The Silver Greyhound (1919), The Magistrate (1921) and A Rogue in Love (1916). He was married to Anne Merwin. He died on 22 February 1922 in London, England, UK.- Rutland Barrington was one of the most important and popular members of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, the company set up by impressario Richard D'Oyly Carte to perform the operatic works of W S Gilbert and A S Sullivan. Joining in 1877, Barrington created the following roles: Dr Daly in "The Sorcerer", Corcoran in "HMS Pinafore", Sergeant in "The Pirates of Penzance", Grosvenor in "Patience", Mountararat in "Iolanthe", Hildebrand in "Princess Ida", Pooh-Bah in "The Mikado", and Sir Despard in "Ruddigore". Barrington then briefly left the company to try his hand at theatre management, before returning to create the roles of Giuseppe in "The Gondoliers", King Paramount in "Utopia, Ltd.", and Ludwig in "The Grand Duke". He left the Carte in 1896 and enjoyed a successful career appearing in many musicals and operettas in London's West End. He returned to the Carte for a final time in 1908, staying for a year, and playing many of his old roles plus The Judge or the Counsel in "Trial by Jury", Wilfred Shadbolt in "The Yeomen of the Guard", and Don Alhambra in "The Gondoliers". During this final fling with the Carte, Barrington published his first autobiography "Rutland Barrington- By Himself", following it up in 1911 with "More Rutland Barrington". During his later life, Barrington found himself with financial problems, and was eventually buried in an unmarked grave in 1922. The location of the grave has now been discovered and fans of the G&S Operas have now erected a gravestone to the memory of one of the Victorian eras most famous and popular performers.
- Emperor Karl was born on 17 August 1887 in Castle of Persenbeug, Lower Austria, Austria-Hungary. He was married to Empress Zita. He died on 1 April 1922 in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.
- Ludwig Hartau was born on 19 February 1877 in Trachenberg, Silesia, Germany. He was an actor, known for Deception (1920), Marie Antoinette - Das Leben einer Königin (1922) and Johann Baptiste Lingg (1920). He died on 24 November 1922 in Berlin, Germany.
- Adelaide Ober was born on 29 November 1842 in New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Professor Optimo (1912) and Indian Romeo and Juliet (1912). She was married to George Ober and Thomas Peabody Power. She died on 8 February 1922 in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, USA.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Harry Williams was born on 23 August 1879 in Faribault, Minnesota, USA. He was a director and writer, known for Wonder Woman (2017), P.S. I Love You (2007) and The Legend of 1900 (1998). He was married to Carolyn ?. He died on 15 May 1922 in Oakland, California, USA.- Robert Symes Entwistle, who was born in London on 1 January, 1872, worked on Broadway as a character comedy actor and as producer Charles Frohman's stage manager. He also appeared in the film The Beautiful Adventure (1917), that was based on a Frohman theatrical adaption of a popular French play by Robert de Flers and Gaston Arman de Caillavet. Not long after Charles Frohman was lost at sea during the sinking of the Lusitania, Entwistle retired from the stage and opened a small shop in New York on Madison Avenue and Fifty-Fourth Street that sold designer gift boxes to upscale clientele.
In 1904 Entwistle married Emily Stevenson in Birmingham, England. Their daughter, Lillian Millicent (Peg Entwistle), became known as one of the more tragic Hollywood figures, when, in 1931, she leaped to her death from atop one of the letters in the landmark Hollywoodland sign. Emily died in 1912 around the time Entwistle was brought to America by Charles Frohman. In 1914 he married, probably in New York, his sister-in-law, Lauretta Amanda Ross. Their union produced two sons, Milton and Robert, before her untimely death in 1921 at the age of 37 from spinal meningitis.
On the evening of 2 November, 1922, Entwistle was run down by a limousine at the intersection of Park Avenue and Seventy- Second Street, as he was walking home from his place of business. Witnesses to the accident told police that the limousine's chauffeur stopped, got out of the vehicle for a moment and looked down on Entwistle's broken body before speeding off. Neither the driver nor the limousine was ever found.
Robert Entwistle lingered for forty-eight days in a body caste with a broken spine before dying on 19 December at Prospects Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. He was survived by his three children, who were then raised by his brother, actor Harold Entwistle and his wife, former actress Jane Ross.
Robert Symes Entwistle was interned at the Oak Hill cemetery, Glendale, Ohio in a grave that he now shares with his daughter Millicent. - Genevieve Reynolds was born in 1851 in New York, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Romeo and Juliet (1916), Little Miss Happiness (1916) and Caprice of the Mountains (1916). She died on 25 January 1922 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Howard Crampton was born on 12 January 1865 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916), Someone in the House (1920) and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913). He died on 15 June 1922 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Carl Michael Ziehrer was born on 2 May 1843 in Vienna, Austrian Empire [now Austria]. He was a composer, known for Der Traum eines österreischischen Reservisten (1928), Young Girls of Vienna (1949) and Der Traum des österreichischen Reservisten (1915). He was married to Marianne Edelmann. He died on 14 November 1922 in Vienna, Austria.- Marie Mills was born on 5 April 1869 in Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Castles for Two (1917). She was married to John B. Mills. She died on 1 September 1922 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- While watching a movie one snowy night in Washington, DC, journalist and author Chauncey Corey Brainerd and his wife Edith were killed when the flat roof of Crandall's Knickerbocker Theatre collapsed under the weight of over two feet of heavy snow. More than 200 other moviegoers and theater employees were killed or injured on that night during what became known as The Great Knickerbocker Storm of 1922. A former congressman, an aide to President Woodrow Wilson and a number of house musicians, including the conductor, perished in the disaster.
Brainerd and his wife, the former Edith Rathbone Jocobs, were married at her parents' home in Mt. Vernon, New York, on June 4, 1903. She was born in Washington, DC, around 1885 and later lived, at least for a while, in Westchester, NY, where her father worked as a postal inspector. Chauncey Brainerd was born in New York City, the son of Alanson and Adelia Corey Brainard. His father was a merchant who died before Brainerd's second birthday. His mother later worked as a housekeeper in order to support him and his older sister Adelia.
Chauncey and Edith, who were both writers, went on to collaborate on a number of stories together under the pen name E.J. Rath. Chauncey was a veteran of the Spanish-American War. At the time of his death he had been the Washington bureau chief for the Brooklyn Eagle for over ten years. - George Hernandez was born on 6 June 1863 in Placerville, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Just Out of College (1920), The White Medicine Man (1911) and Making a Man of Him (1911). He was married to Anna Dodge. He died on 31 December 1922 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Erskine Childers was born on 25 June 1870 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Riddle of the Sands (1979) and Das Rätsel der Sandbank (1987). He was married to Mary Alden Osgood. He died on 24 November 1922 in Dublin, Irish Free State [now Dublin, Ireland].
- Producer
- Director
Anton Kolm was born on 12 October 1865 in Vienna, Austrian Empire [now Austria]. He was a producer and director, known for Trilby (1912), Der Meineidbauer (1915) and Der ledige Hof (1919). He was married to Luise Fleck. He died on 11 October 1922 in Vienna, Austria.- Prince Albert Ier de Monaco was born on 13 November 1848 in Paris, France. He was married to Princess of Monaco and Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton. He died on 26 June 1922 in Paris, France.
- Harold Skinner was born on 29 November 1888 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He was an actor, known for A Bit o' Heaven (1917), A Yoke of Gold (1916) and The Victoria Cross (1916). He was married to Evelyn Farrar. He died on 14 September 1922 in San Diego, California, USA.
- British writer, novelist and ornithologist William Henry Hudson was born in 1841 in Argentina. His parents were English, though born in the New England area of the US (his grandfather came to the US from Exeter, England, on the Mayflower). His father eventually moved the family to Argentina, where William was born, to raise sheep. Young William roamed the pampas--as the Argentine plains were called--becoming an expert on the plant and animal life of the area. At 15 years old he took part in a cattle drive that was caught in a severe blizzard and he contracted rheumatic fever, which adversely affected his health for the rest of his life. While recovering from the illness, he read "The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin (V), which made a lasting impression on him.
After his parents' death he began to travel extensively, but in 1869 he moved to England and settled there. In 1876 he married a much older woman, and they lived on the edge of poverty, even though they had income from two boarding houses, until his wife inherited a house in the Bayswater section of London, where Hudson spent the rest of his days.
His early novels were influenced by his life on the South American plains, being mainly romances in that exotic setting, but were not particularly successful at the time. He is probably best known for his 1904 novel "Green Mansions" (filmed in 1959 as Green Mansions (1959)). Although not as successful as many of his contemporaries, such as Joseph Conrad and Ford Madox Ford, Hudson became close friends with them. He soon began writing books with ornithological themes, and began to gain recognition. Several of his books helped to bring about the "back-to-nature" movement, such as "Afoot in England" (1909), "A Shepherd's Life" (1910) and "A Friend in Richmond Park" (1922).
Hudson died in London, England, after a bout with heart disease, in 1922. - W. Chrystie Miller was born on 10 August 1843 in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Ramona (1910), Faithful (1910) and The Last Deal (1910). He was married to Jennie Towell. He died on 23 September 1922 in Staten Island, New York, USA.
- Giovanni Verga was born on 2 September 1840 in Catania, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies [now Catania, Sicily, Italy]. He was a writer, known for Fatal Desire (1953), Tigre reale (1916) and Cavalleria rusticana (1916). He died on 27 January 1922 in Catania, Sicily, Italy.
- Charles Arling was born on 22 August 1880 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor, known for Back to God's Country (1919), Number 99 (1920) and Droppington's Devilish Deed (1915). He died on 21 April 1922 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- George Bronson Howard was born on 7 January 1879 in Relay, Maryland, USA. George Bronson was a writer and director, known for Perils of the Secret Service (1917), The Last Cigarette (1917) and The Crimson Blade (1917). George Bronson was married to Dos Skinner, Margaret Sackville and Jean ?. George Bronson died on 20 November 1922 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Nellie Bly was born on 5 May 1864 in Cochran's Mills, Pennsylvania, USA. Nellie was a writer, known for The Nellie Bly Story (2020). Nellie died on 27 January 1922 in New York, New York, USA.
- Writer
- Actor
R. Cecil Smith was born on 27 September 1880 in Parkersburg, West Virginia, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Smashing Barriers (1923), Sealed Hearts (1919) and The Sudden Gentleman (1917). He died on 17 December 1922 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- The second in a family of ten, his father Henry farmed at Kilkea. His mother Henrietta was descended from the Fitzmaurices, a family which had been in Kerry since the Norman times in the 13th century. In 1880 when Ernest was six his father gave up farming and went to Trinity College Dublin, and qualified to be a doctor. The family lived at 35 Marlborough Road in Dublin and in 1884 they moved to Sydenham in South London where Henry practiced for 30 years.
After attending school at Dulwich College as a day boy Ernest, aged 16, joined the Merchant Navy. After 10 years he gave that up and joined a British Expedition led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott to try and be the first to reach the South Pole. In the summer of 1901 the ship , The Discovery departed for the Antarctic. On 30th December 1902 Scott, Shackleton and Edward Wilson FZS ("Uncle Bill") reached within 400 miles of the South Pole, the furthest South yet achieved by anybody. Shackleton was invalided on the return journey and was sent home early. His experience on this expedition then spurred Shackleton on, to have a go at reaching the South Pole himself. In 1904 after his return he married Emily Dorman, they had three children Raymond, Cecily and Edward.
Next came the Nimrod expedition. In March 1907 Shackleton outlined his own trip, which he organized himself with the minimum of official support. The Expedition was to leave New Zealand in 1908. The ship chosen was a sealing ship which generally worked from Newfoundland. It was brought down and arrived in London in mid-June 1907. The Queen presented Shackleton with a Union Jack to carry on the sledge journey. They ship left for New Zealand on the 7th of August. The Commonwealth Government gave Shackleton £5000 and the New Zealand Government gave him £1000 and agreed to pay for half of the cost of towing the ship down to the Antarctic Circle to save coal for the journey that lay ahead. They entered the Ross Sea on January 16th. On the 28th of January the ship froze in the ice. The next day they lowered the motorcar onto the ice pack, the first automobile on the Antarctic Continent. The team set up the hut they had brought with them and the men crammed in. The weather began to close in and the sun to set. On the 29th of October 1908 Shackleton, Adams, Marshall and Frank Wild headed for the South Pole, a 1700 mile round trip. The other men had set up many depots for the journey using the motorcar for several of them. The team began to run low on rations shot the ponies for food. On the 9th of January 1909 they reached a new furthest south - just 97 miles from the South Pole. They had to turn around due to lack of food.
After the Norwegian Roald Amundsen (December 1911) and Scott (January 1912) had reached the South Pole, Shackleton thought up and attempted to carry out another great plan - to cross the 2000 mile Antarctic continent. This trip was a very successful failure. The team of 28 men and 68 dogs never set foot on the continent. Shackleton's ship the "Endurance" was trapped in the ice in the Weddell Sea for 11 months, from January 1915 until it was squashed and sank in November 1915, leaving 28 men on the ice with 3 small ship's boats. They then spent 5 ( admittedly summer) months on an iceberg floating away from the continent. With great good fortune they landed on Elephant Island on the 15th of April 1916. It is a small godforsaken island of rock and ice with a few penguins and seals for food. So there they were in April 1916, lost to the civilized world, and heading into an Antarctic winter. Losing no time Shackleton's next move was to be one of the greatest small boat journeys ever made. Shackleton and 5 others set off in the 22 foot boat the "James Caird" on an 800 mile journey across one of the roughest seas in the world to island of South Georgia to get help. Tim McCarthy first spotted South Georgia, 15 days after they had left Elephant Island. Their extraordinary journey was not yet over - to reach help, Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley then had to cross the mountains, glaciers and snowfields of South Georgia to get to the whaling station at Stromness. Three and a half months later, at the fourth attempt, Shackleton, in a Chilean tug the "Yelcho' rescued the remaining 22 crew on Elephant Island on the 30th August 1916. It was amazing that all the crew had survived. In December Shackleton left New Zealand on the Aurora to rescue the Ross Sea Party from Cape Royds - on the other side of the Antarctic , this party had successfully laid food depots along the Ross Ice Shelf towards the South Pole. Shackleton had intended to use these as he crossed the Continent from the Weddell Sea side.
The 1921 trip on the Quest was his final journey. He died of a heart attack in the early hours of the 5th January 1922 shortly after the start of the expedition, at Grytviken in South Georgia where he was buried. A few months later on their journey home the crew of the Quest erected a cross at King Edward Point, across the bay from the cemetery where their "Boss" lies buried. - Richard Croker was born on 23 November 1841 in Clonakilty, County Cork, Ireland. He died on 29 April 1922.