ATLAS

ChronologyOMEGA-11-4-8Sheet 8 of 8 of the dossier Ice wall

Ice wall timeline

From the discovery of the Ross Barrier to "The Final Experiment".

Painting: two sailing ships in a rough sea among icebergs, beneath tall icy mountains lit by a shaft of light.
HMS Erebus and Terror in the Antarctic, oil painting by J. W. Carmichael, 1847 (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich): the two ships of James Clark Ross's expedition, which discovered the Great Ice Barrier in January 1841. James Wilson Carmichael · public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Summary

This timeline sets the ice-wall story against the dates it rests on. It opens in January 1841, when James Clark Ross came upon the cliff he named the Great Ice Barrier, today's Ross Ice Shelf. In 1849 Samuel Rowbotham, writing as "Parallax", published the pamphlet that describes a flat Earth bounded by ice, and in 1892 Alexander Gleason issued his North Pole-centred map subtitled "As it is". The following decades fill the record with real expeditions. Amundsen reached the South Pole from the Great Ice Barrier on 14 December 1911, and Scott on 17 January 1912, dying on the way back. In 1946–1947 Operation Highjump sent 4,700 US Navy men, 13 ships and 33 aircraft under Admiral Byrd and set up Little America IV on the Ross Ice Shelf. On 5 March 1947 El Mercurio published the Byrd interview that some sites now link, without a source, to the "land beyond the Pole" quote.

On 1 December 1959 twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty in Washington, reserving the continent for peace and science; it came into force on 23 June 1961. Qantas and Air New Zealand began flying passengers over Antarctica in February 1977. The online revival appears in 2015 with Mark Sargent's YouTube series Flat Earth Clues. The timeline closes in December 2024 with "The Final Experiment", when flat-Earth and globe YouTubers filmed the midnight sun at Union Glacier and the flat-Earthers admitted it was real.

  1. James Clark Ross discovers the Great Ice Barrier · Ross Sea, Antarctica

    James Clark Ross's British expedition runs into an ice cliff he names the Great Ice Barrier, today's Ross Ice Shelf.

  2. Rowbotham publishes Zetetic Astronomy · England

    Writing as "Parallax", Samuel Rowbotham publishes the pamphlet describing a flat Earth bounded by ice.

    • Modern flat Earth beliefs, Wikipedia
      Rowbotham published the 1849 pamphlet titled Zetetic Astronomy, writing under the pseudonym "Parallax".
    • Samuel Rowbotham, Wikipedia
      His work was originally published as a 16-page pamphlet (1849), and later expanded into a book (1865).
  3. Gleason's map · United States

    Alexander Gleason publishes his North Pole-centred world map, subtitled "As it is".

  4. – Race to the South Pole · South Pole

    Amundsen reaches the South Pole on 14 December 1911 from the Great Ice Barrier; Scott reaches it on 17 January 1912 and dies on the way back.

  5. – Operation Highjump · Antarctica

    The US Navy sends 4,700 men, 13 ships and 33 aircraft to Antarctica under Admiral Byrd; Little America IV is set up on the Ross Ice Shelf.

    • Operation Highjump, Wikipedia
      Operation HIGHJUMP commenced 26 August 1946 and ended in late February 1947.
    • Opération Highjump, Wikipedia
      Elle fut lancée le 26 août 1946 et dura jusqu'en 1947.
  6. Byrd's El Mercurio interview · Chile

    Byrd warns of air attacks over the poles; some sites date the "land beyond the Pole" quote to this interview.

  7. Antarctic Treaty signed · Washington, United States

    Twelve countries sign in Washington the treaty reserving Antarctica for peace and science; it enters into force on 23 June 1961.

    • Antarctic Treaty System, Wikipedia
      The main treaty was opened for signature on 1 December 1959, and officially entered into force on 23 June 1961.
    • The Antarctic Treaty, Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty
      signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 by the twelve countries
  8. – First sightseeing flights over Antarctica · Overflights from Australia and New Zealand

    Qantas (13 February) then Air New Zealand (15 February) fly passengers over Antarctica.

  9. Flat Earth Clues · YouTube

    Mark Sargent launches the YouTube series Flat Earth Clues, which popularises the disc ringed by a wall of ice.

  10. – "The Final Experiment" · Union Glacier Camp, Antarctica

    Pastor Will Duffy takes flat-Earth and globe YouTubers to Union Glacier; they film the midnight sun and the flat-Earthers admit it is real.

Play on YouTube (third-party content)
A 36-hour time-lapse of the 24-hour Sun filmed at Union Glacier Camp during "The Final Experiment" (December 2024), posted on the expedition's channel, run by its organiser, pastor Will Duffy.
The Final Experiment