The Polaris Expedition - Two

About this episode

This episode continues the story of the Polaris Expedition in 1871, focusing on the aftermath of Charles Francis Hall's mysterious death and the leadership of Sidney Buddington.

This week On Tales we return to the Arctic, the year 1871. Charles Francis Hall has passed on, mysteriously, after drinking a suspiciously sweet, yet metallic coffee. What will happen to the expedition as power passes to the hard-drinking Sidney Buddington? Today we’ll find out. This is part two of a two parter. Apologies for the delay in getting this one out there - it took some of my neighbours a week to run out of fireworks bought for Guy Fawkes Day. Content warnings: Death. Gun violence. Brief mention of sexual abuse. Sources Include:Fatal North by Bruce Henderson.Arctic Experiences… by Euphemia Blake The Arctic Grail by Pierre BertonThis New York Times article on John Torrington (that, shockingly, was not behind a paywall) Support Tales on Patreon for $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content, or Try our 7 Day Free Trial. Please leave Tales a like and a review wherever you listen. The best way you can support us is to share an episode with a friend - Creative works grow best by word of mouth. I post episodes fortnightly, Wednesdays. Tales of History and Imagination can be found on… | Facebook |TikTok | Threads | YouTube | Bluesky |

People in this episode

Host: Simone Whitlow

Topics covered

• Arctic exploration
• historical events
• 19th century history
• expedition challenges
• mystery
• death

Keywords

• Polaris Expedition
• Charles Francis Hall
• Sidney Buddington
• Arctic
• 1871
• expedition
• mystery
• death
• gun violence
• historical podcast

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: New York Times

Books & works: Fatal North, Arctic Experiences…, The Arctic Grail

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