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Antarctic Explorer's Failure Becomes His Greatest Success

A helicopter has rescued all 52 passengers from a research ship that’s been trapped in Antarctic ice since Christmas Eve.

The group was stuck in the ice for 10 days, but imagine being stuck there for 15 months – with no communication with the outside world.

That’s what happened to Irish explorer Ernest Shackleton and his team in their attempt to make a land crossing of Antarctica in 1914.

Their ship got stuck in the ice, and they never reached their goal. But that journey is now remembered for Shackleton’s journey to rescue his crew.

Moshe Cohen teaches leadership at Boston University’s Graduate School of Business, and joins Here & Now’Robin Young to explain why Shackleton’s actions in 1914 serve as a model of true leadership.

Guest

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Sir Ernest Shackleton watching a lead forming, 1915, photographed by Frank Hurley. (State Library of New South Wales/Flickr)
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Sir Ernest Shackleton watching a lead forming, 1915, photographed by Frank Hurley. (State Library of New South Wales/Flickr)
Recently recovered cellulose photos recovered by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust. Pictured, Ernest Shackleton's 1907-1909 base. (New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust)
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Recently recovered cellulose photos recovered by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust. Pictured, Ernest Shackleton's 1907-1909 base. (New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust)
Recently recovered cellulose photos recovered by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust. Pictured, looking south along Hut Point Peninsula. (New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust)
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Recently recovered cellulose photos recovered by the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust. Pictured, looking south along Hut Point Peninsula. (New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust)
Th ship, "The Endurance" got stuck in Antarctic ice for 15 months. Pictured, A mid-winter glow on the Weddell Sea surrounds The Endurance in 1915. (Frank Hurley/State Library of New South Wales via Flickr)
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Th ship, "The Endurance" got stuck in Antarctic ice for 15 months. Pictured, A mid-winter glow on the Weddell Sea surrounds The Endurance in 1915. (Frank Hurley/State Library of New South Wales via Flickr)

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.