Adrien de Gerlache

Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery was born on August 2, 1866, in Hasselt. Joining the Belgian state marine, he passionately campaigned for a national scientific expedition to explore the uncharted White Continent, securing funding from the Belgian Royal Geographical Society.

Sailing from Antwerp in August 1897 aboard the Belgica with an international scientific crew (including a young Roald Amundsen as first mate), the ship became trapped in the Antarctic pack ice in February 1898. For thirteen grueling months, Gerlache and his men survived the world's first Antarctic winter night, conducting pioneering meteorological, magnetic, and biological observations. Gerlache Strait in Antarctica bears his name.