English explorer who commanded two Antarctic expeditions, 1901-04 and 1910-12. On 18 Jan 1912 he reached the South Pole, shortly after the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, but on the return journey he and his companions died in a blizzard only a few miles from their base camp. His journal was recovered and published 1913. Born in Devonport, he entered the navy 1882. With Scott on the final expedition were Edward Wilson (1872-1912), Laurence Oates, H R Bowers, and E Evans. The Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge was founded 1920 out of funds donated by the public following Scott's death, as a memorial to him and his companions. It houses a small museum and library, and carries out research into all aspects of the Antarctic and Arctic regions.
