Ejnar Mikkelsen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ejnar Mikkelsen
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| Royal Inspector of East Greenland | |
| In office 1933–1950 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | December 23, 1880 Vester-Brønderslev, Jutland, Denmark |
| Died | May 1, 1971 (age 90) Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Occupation | Explorer, author, administrator |
Ejnar Mikkelsen (1880–1971) was a brave Danish polar explorer and author. He is most known for his exciting expeditions to the icy lands of Greenland. He spent many years exploring the Arctic, facing tough challenges and making important discoveries.
Contents
Biography
Ejnar Mikkelsen was born in Vester Brønderslev, a town in Jutland, Denmark. From a young age, he was drawn to adventure. He joined his first expedition in 1900, traveling to Christian IX Land in East Greenland. Soon after, he explored Franz Josef Land as part of the Baldwin-Ziegler North Pole Expedition.
Exploring Alaska's Coast
In 1906, Ejnar Mikkelsen teamed up with Ernest de Koven Leffingwell for the Anglo-American polar expedition. They spent the winter near Flaxman Island, Alaska. During this trip, they sadly lost their ship. However, they continued their journey by sledge over the ice. They made an important discovery: they found the edge of the continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean. This was about 65 miles (105 km) offshore. They noticed the sea suddenly became much deeper, dropping from 50 meters (164 ft) to over 690 meters (2264 ft) in just 2 miles (3 km)!
Lost in Greenland
One of Mikkelsen's most famous adventures began in 1909. He led an expedition to map the northeast coast of Greenland. His goal was also to find the lost records and bodies of two explorers, Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen and Niels Peter Høeg Hagen, from an earlier expedition.
Mikkelsen's wooden ship, the Alabama, got stuck in the ice near Shannon Island, East Greenland. While he was away exploring, the rest of his crew had to leave on another ship. They thought Mikkelsen and his engineer, Iversen, were lost.
But Mikkelsen and Iversen kept going! They made several dangerous sledge journeys. They successfully found the lost records and proved that a supposed "Peary Channel" did not exist.
When the two explorers returned to Shannon Island, they found their crew gone. Luckily, the crew had salvaged wood from the Alabama and built a small cottage. Mikkelsen and Iversen then spent two very difficult winters in this cottage. They were running out of supplies and hope. Finally, in the summer of 1912, a Norwegian whaler rescued them. This small building, known as the Alabama cottage, is still standing today!
Later Expeditions and Recognition
In 1924, Ejnar Mikkelsen led another expedition. This time, he helped establish a new settlement called Scoresbysund in Greenland. Later, in 1932, he led an expedition that carried out the first archaeological digs at the Skaergaard intrusion, near the Kangerlussuaq Fjord.
Ejnar Mikkelsen was honored in Denmark on his 90th birthday in 1970. He passed away a few months later in Copenhagen on May 1, 1971.
His legacy lives on! In 2009, the Royal Danish Navy named one of their patrol vessels, the HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen, after him. Also, a mountain range in Greenland, the Ejnar Mikkelsen Range, bears his name.
Works
Ejnar Mikkelsen wrote several books about his adventures:
- Conquering the Arctic Ice (1909)
- Lost in the Arctic (1913) – This book tells more about his Greenland expeditions.
- Mylius-Erichsen's Report on the Non-Existence of Peary's Channel (1913)
- Tre Aar par Grönlands Ostkyst (1914)
- Norden For Lov og Ret (1920) – This story was later translated as Frozen Justice (1922).
- John Dale (1921) – A novel.
- Two Against the Ice (2003) – This book includes a foreword by Lawrence Millman.
Awards
Ejnar Mikkelsen received important awards for his explorations:
- 1933: Hans Egede Medal from the Royal Danish Geographical Society.
- 1935: Patron's Gold Medal from the Royal Geographical Society.
