The Farthest North

In 1596, Dutch navigator Willem Berenz made it to a latitude of 79 degrees 49 minutes north. By the time we get to the 20th century, people are still a long way off from reaching the North Pole and 90 degrees north. A ship that could withstand being frozen in pack ice was proposed by Norwegian explorer Frigioff Nansen's Fram expedition. The story is an absolute ripper and well worth having a listen to in the full episode that is devoted to it.