Discovery of South Pole
Writes, "The end is in sight...we are weakening rapidly"
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1909 in Great Britain
Explore 200 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1909.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1909
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 200 unique records.
200Unique records
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26Named events on this page
14Named people on this page
9Places on this page
January
Discovery of South Pole
Shackleton stops at 88 degrees 23S, 111 miles short of the South Pole. Names the area where they stop as King Edward VII Plateau
Farthest South
Reaches the expeditions farthest south point with Shackleton.
Farthest South
Reaches the farthest south point with Shackletons party.
Farthest South
Turns back at about 88 degrees 23 minutes south, within roughly 97 nautical miles of the South Pole
Farthest South
Turns back after reaching a new farthest south record.
Farthest South
Accompanies Shackleton, Jameson Adams and Eric Marshall to the Nimrod Expedition farthest south point
Farthest South
Reaches the new farthest south record with Shackleton.
Nimrod Southern Party
Turns north with the weakened four-man southern party.
Nimrod Southern Party
Provides medical expertise during the exhausting polar journey.
Nimrod Southern Party
Helps haul the expedition sledge during the southern journey.
Nimrod Southern Party Turns Back
Chooses survival rather than continuing toward the South Pole.
South Pole
Names the area where they stop as King Edward VII Plateau
Discovery of South Pole
Reaches the South Magnetic Pole
Magnetic Pole Journey
Completes the hazardous northern journey across Victoria Land.
South Magnetic Pole
Reaches the South Magnetic Pole with David and Mawson.
February
Labour Exchanges
Visits the 1st 17 Labour Exchanges, all of which open this day
Fabian Welfare Reform Programme
Advocates specialized public services instead of the traditional workhouse system.
Minority Report on the Poor Law
Co-authors the Minority Report of the Poor Law Commission.
Minority Report on the Poor Law
Co-authors the Poor Law Commissions Minority Report.
National Welfare Reform Proposal
Argues for preventive public services and coordinated social administration.
Poor Law Minority Report
Helps write the Minority Report on Poor Law reform.
Poor Law Reform Analysis
Advocates replacing the Poor Law with coordinated public services.
March
South Pole
The Nimrod spots Shackleton from Cape Royds & pick him up
HMS Invincible Commissioned
HMS Invincible enters Home Fleet service, embodying Fisher's fast heavily armed cruiser concept.
Antarctic Geological Work Completed
Brings back geological observations from the Ross Sea region.
Depot and Sledge Work Completed
Completes a second major Antarctic expedition as an experienced seaman.
Discovery of South Pole
Arrives in New Zealand having led an expedition to within 111 miles of the South Pole
Nimrod Expedition Return
Returns after serving on sledging and depot-laying parties.
Nimrod Expedition Return
Returns from Antarctica after geological work with the Nimrod expedition.
Dreadnought Construction Programme
Supports construction intended to preserve Britains naval superiority.
Home Fleet Unified Organisation
Home-water forces are reorganised into a unified Home Fleet with differing readiness levels and concentrated battle strength.
Naval Estimates
Defends increased naval estimates during the dreadnought scare.
April
Legislation
Churchills Bill has its 2nd reading in the House of Commons
Finance and Social Spending Programme
Links taxation reform with social spending and naval requirements.
Liberal Finance Programme
Links taxation reform with social spending and naval requirements.
People's Budget
Lloyd George presents a redistributive budget financing welfare and naval expenditure through higher taxation.
People's Budget
Introduces welfare finance later linked to social reform thinking.
Peoples Budget Cabinet Backing
Supports Lloyd George's radical budget in Cabinet and Parliament.
Peoples Budget Cabinet Support
Backs Lloyd Georges radical budget in Cabinet and Parliament.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.