Historical eventJanuary 171912

Robert Falcon Scott

Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them by 33 days.

Everything on January 17Original source

In context

When
Wednesday, January 17 1912114 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1910s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1912.

What happened

Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them by 33 days.

January 17 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1912Robert Falcon Scott
  2. 2002Mount Nyiragongo
  3. 2007Doomsday Clock
  4. 2008British Airways Flight 38
  5. 20102010 Jos riots
  6. 2013Murder of Shahzad Luqman
  7. 2013Lance Armstrong
  8. 2016Barack Obama
  9. 2017Search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
  10. 20232023 Nyingchi avalanche
  11. 20262026 Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crash

Also in 1912

  • September 4Albanian revolt of 1912The Albanian revolt ended when the Ottoman government agreed to meet most of the rebels' demands.
  • January 6Alfred WegenerGerman geophysicist Alfred Wegener presented his theory of continental drift, the precursor of plate tectonics, to the German Geological…
  • March 30Abd al-Hafid of MoroccoSultan Abd al-Hafid signed the Treaty of Fes, making Morocco a French protectorate.
  • October 9Little Falls, New YorkFollowing a reduction in pay, textile workers in Little Falls, New York, walked out of their mill, starting a three-month strike.
  • November 4KeelThe keel of USS Nevada was laid down, beginning construction on the United States Navy's first "super-dreadnought".
  • January 11Lawrence, MassachusettsImmigrant textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, went on strike in response to a pay cut corresponding to a new state law shortening…
  • November 28All-Albanian CongressAt the All-Albanian Congress, the Assembly of Vlorë was constituted, which declared the independence of the Albanian Vilayet from the Ott…
  • June 6NovaruptaThe largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century began, forming the volcano Novarupta in the Alaska Peninsula.

Everything we record for 1912 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Robert Falcon Scott”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/robert-falcon-scott-1912-january-17, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Robert Falcon Scott happen?

January 17 1912 — 114 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.