On 27 January 1820, the vast, frozen expanse of Antarctica was first sighted by the Russian naval expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev aboard the Vostok and Mirny.
Braving treacherous waters and unrelenting icy winds, the explorers charted the hitherto unknown southernmost continent, pushing the boundaries of human exploration.
Their historic voyage not only confirmed the existence of Antarctica but also paved the way for future scientific and geographic endeavours in the uninhabitable yet fascinating land of ice.
