Birth of James Clark Ross
Birth of James Clark Ross
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
James Clark Ross Biography and Timeline
Follow James Clark Ross through 24 dated historical records for Great Britain.
James Clark Ross, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
24Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1800–1862Years on this page
1800
1829
Discovery of Boothia Peninsula
John Ross was frozen in for four years at its easternmost point starting in 1829. He named it after his patron Sir Felix Booth
1831
Discovery of Magnetic Pole
Plants a union jack to mark the exact spot of the magnetic north pole
Discovery of Boothia Peninsula
Helps locate the position of the North Magnetic Pole on 1 June 1831 on the Boothia Peninsula in the far north of Canada
Discovery of North Magnetic Pole
Helps locate the position of the North Magnetic Pole on 1 June 1831 on the Boothia Peninsula in the far north of Canada
Discovery of Clarence Islands
Charters the Beaufort Islands, later renamed Clarence Islands
1834
Captain
Appointed Captain
1839
Ross Expedition
Sails with HMS Erebus and HMS Terror on the British Antarctic expedition that will explore the Ross Sea region
Ross Expedition
Commands the Antarctic expedition of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, with Francis Crozier as second-in-command, and begins charting much of the coastline of the continent
1841
Great Ice Barrier
Encounters the Great Ice Barrier, later known as the Ross Ice Shelf, while exploring the Ross Sea
Discovery of Antarctica
Discovers the Ross Sea, Victoria Land, Mount Erebus and Mount Terror, naming the volcanoes after the expedition's vessels
Discovery of Mount Erebus
James Ross discovers the Ross Sea, Victoria Land, and the volcanoes Mount Erebus and Mount Terror, which were named for the expeditions vessels
Discovery of Mount Terror
James Ross discovers the Ross Sea, Victoria Land, and the volcanoes Mount Erebus and Mount Terror, which were named for the expeditions vessels
Discovery of Ross Ice Shelf
Sails for 250 nautical miles (460 km) along the edge of the low, flat-topped ice shelf they called the Victoria Barrier, later named "Ross Ice Shelf" in his honour
Discovery of Ross Sea
James Ross discovers the Ross Sea, Victoria Land, and the volcanoes Mount Erebus and Mount Terror, which were named for the expeditions vessels
Discovery of Victoria Land
James Ross discovers the Ross Sea, Victoria Land, and the volcanoes Mount Erebus and Mount Terror, which were named for the expeditions vessels
1842
Farthest South
Pushes south through the Ross Sea and reaches a new farthest south latitude near the Great Ice Barrier
Discovery of Ross Ice Barrier
Discovers the Ross Ice Barrier
Discovery of James Ross Island
Explores the eastern side of what is now known as James Ross Island, discovering and naming Snow Hill Island and Seymour Island
Discovery of Snow Hill Island
Explores the eastern side of what is now known as James Ross Island, discovering and naming Snow Hill Island and Seymour Island
1843
Gold Medal of the Societe de Geographie
Awarded the Gold Medal of the Societe de Geographie
1844
Knighthood
Awarded a knighthood
1848
Royal Society
Elected to the Royal Society
1862
Death of James Clark Ross
Death of James Clark Ross
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.