Elisha Kane

Elisha Kane, an American explorer, was educated as a physician that was a naval surgeon for the 1850 exploration to the Arctic cold. Elisha and a few other explorers embarked on the First Grinnell Expedition, which was an exploration created to help find the lost members of the Franklin Polar Expedition.

Before his years in the Franklin Polar Expedition, he attended the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. After an attack of rheumatic fever, “Kane possessed a courage and stamina which helped him to overcome this handicap and which served him well in later years” (Dictionary of Canadian Biography). His perseverance helped him pursue a career in medicine at the University of Pennsylvania rather than pursuing a career in civil engineering. Years after studying medicine and working at hospitals, “on the advice of his father, Kane applied for service in the United States Navy” (Dictionary of Canadian Biography). This sparked his future endeavors of becoming a naval commission officer on July 1, 1843.

In 1850,  Kane became a surgeon to the First Grinnell Expedition, searching for Sir John Franklin, who had been missing for approximately 5 years from the Franklin Polar Expedition. The First Grinnell Expedition was basically a fail in reaching their goal of finding the missing men; however, Kane and his crew “found one of Franklin’s camps but no trace of the men” (World Digital Library). After the unsuccessful attempt find Franklin, Kane organized and planned his own expedition to help find the missing men. This expedition was called the Second Grinnell Expedition. During this trip, his “ship became icebound” (Britannica). While Kan was in the Arctic, he published a book over his “detailed observations about pack ice, icebergs, Arctic fish, and wildlife [and] the narrative is followed by a lengthy appendix that includes six documents” (World Digital Library). The six different documents were from different officials and navy leaders showing the instructions of the expedition and reports of the expedition. After a struggling journey, they were finally rescued in Greenland (it is interesting to know that as he sailed the ship to Greenland, he passed a sea that is now known as Kane Basin).

Afterwards, Kan received medals from the congress, societies were created in his honor, a crater on the moon was named for him, a ship was named for him, and the USPS created a postage stamp in his honor (Wikipedia). Unfortunately, Kane did not survive long enough to live through his fame; however, his dead body was brought from Havana, Cuba to New Orleans and carried by a funeral train to Philadelphia, his home town.

Sources:

World Digital Library

Dictionary of Canadian Biography

Britannica

Wikipedia