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FRIDAY
Antarctica makes greater heroes of those who fail than those who succeed. Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole on Jan. 18, 1912—a month after it had been first attained—and died on the way back, yet he is better known than the man who beat him to the pole, Roald Amundsen. Two years later, Ernest Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, became ice-bound and was crushed, stranding the crew on the icy Weddell Sea. Shackleton kept the spirits of the 27-man crew up through their two-year ordeal by organizing soccer games, mock trials, slide shows, and dog-sled races. He was also media-savvy: He had sold the rights to the expedition’s photographs and made sure they were rescued before the ship went down. These exquisite pictures are featured in Shackleton: The Antarctic Challenge. The explorer’s granddaughter, Alexandra Shackleton, who wrote the book’s foreword, will sign copies at 12:30 p.m. at Borders, 18th and L Streets NW. Free. (202) 466-4999. (Janet Hopf)