Public Science for a Global Empire: The British Questfor the South Magnetic Pole

It is well known to historians of science that, early in the nineteenthcentury, terrestrial magnetism became both a popular science and asignificant research enterprise in Europe. For Britain, as a maritimepower, it offered benefits for navigation. Theoretical physicistsclaimed that, with enough observations of magnetic variation, intensity,and dip taken throughout the world over time, they could deduce regularmathematical laws to explain the phenomena. Because of the lack ofdata from the region, particular attention focused on field researchin deep southern latitudes. Finding the precise location of the SouthMagnetic Pole became a prime goal for some enthusiasts. With burgeoningcolonies in Africa and the Antipodes, Britain assumed a leading rolein this effort. British scientists looked to their government forfunding and called on the Admiralty to dispatch expeditions. It isless well known that both popular and scientific interest in terrestrialmagnetism continued throughout the nineteenth century and into theearly twentieth century. The H.M.S. Erebus and H.M.S. Terror (1839-1843), H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876), and R.Y. Discovery (1901-1904)sailed to the Antarctic as part of Britain's extended "MagneticCrusade," which culminated with Royal Society geologist T. W.Edgeworth David of the Nimrod expedition reachingthe South Magnetic Pole in 1909.