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Hot air balloon sky explorers - O'Hanlon's Heroes

3,591 views · Published 1 February 2018 · 49:51 · Indexed 19 October 2026

Channel: vpro world stories · 2018 · Travel & Events

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In the fifth episode of the first season, O'Hanlon travels in the footsteps of the sky explorer Salomon Auguste Andrée (1854 - 1897). Andrée was a Swedish technician who, together with Nils Strindberg and Knut Freankel, tried to reach the North Pole from Spitsbergen in a hot air balloon. The expedition almost went wrong right away, the trio failed most likely because of the cold and exhaustion.

Wanting to achieve the seemingly impossible, taking on the ultimate challenge, surpassing yourself, being the first, lifelong honor, and if it really can not be otherwise, posthumous honor then. Maybe not relatable to everyone, but to Salomon August Andrée (1854-1897), one of O'Hanlon's heroes, that was certainly the case. More of an anti-hero really, and the reason why O'Hanlon is so interested in him is because he was such a spectacular failure. 

Andrée left in 1897 with Knut Fraenkel and Nils Strindberg from the Danish Island on Spitsbergen to be the first to fly over the North Pole. At least that was the plan, but it immediately went wrong with the departure. The balloon had ropes that dragged over the ground and a sail to regulate the direction, but this system failed. To prevent them from crashing into the sea, they threw ballast overboard. There was plenty to choose from because they had an absurd amount of useless stuff.

Original title: The Sky Was The Limit 
Author and adventurer Redmond O'Hanlon follows in the footsteps of his nineteenth century heroes: explorers who traveled the world and made the wildest discoveries.
Presented by: Redmond O'Hanlon
© VPRO January 2012

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