The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904 and has served as a meeting point for explorers and scientists worldwide.
The Explorers Club hosts an annual dinner to honor accomplishments in exploration, which is known for its adventurous, exotic cuisine.[1][2]
The Explorers Club has 34 chapters in the United States and around the world,[6] which serve as local contact points for explorers, scientists and students. Many chapters hold monthly dinners, lectures and seminars, award field-research grants to students, publish newsletters and organize expeditions, field trips and educational events.[7]
Charter members
David Legge Brainard (1856–1946): U.S. Army Lieutenant-Colonel: Sioux, Bannock, and Nez Perce Campaigns; Survivor, Lady Franklin Bay Expedition (1881–1884); in 1882 claimed Farthest North at 83º24’30” North latitude
Marshall Howard Saville (1867–1935): Professor of American Archaeology, Columbia University; Curator of Archaeology, American Museum of Natural History
Henry Collins Walsh (1863–1927): Journalist; historian; explorer of Central America and Greenland; founding member of Arctic Club of America (1894);[8] nominal "Founder" of The Explorers Club (1904)
Caspar Whitney (1862–1929): War correspondent, explorer of North and South America, outdoorsman, sports journalist, member of the International Olympic Committee (1900–1905), author; Editor, Outing magazine
Fellows and Members
The Explorers Club has approximately 3,500 members worldwide, with members from every continent and in more than 60 countries. The club differentiates exploration for field science from exploratory travel for tourism. Individuals eligible for membership are those who engage in or support field science expeditions aimed at exploring unfamiliar or poorly understood locations or phenomena, with the goal of acquiring knowledge for the benefit of humanity. The focus is on individuals who have gained practical experience by actively participating in fieldwork as participants in one or more documented scientific expeditions.[9] The club has made it a priority to expand its membership to include qualified explorers from across a range of diversities, including race, culture, gender, age, sexual orientation, geography and socio-economic level, as well as explorers with disabilities.
Membership of the club is divided into two categories. Fellows have made documented contributions to scientific knowledge through field expeditions. Members have evidenced a sustained interest and participation in some aspect of field exploration and have contributed in broad terms to the cause of exploration and the furthering of scientific knowledge.[9]
Famous firsts
The Explorers Club is renowned for various "Famous Firsts" accomplished by its members, including:[10][11]
First to the North Pole (1909) – Robert E. Peary (honorary membership in 1912) & Matthew Henson Robert Peary's claim to have been the first to the North Pole has been disputed and current consensus does not support his claim. However, in 1968 Ralph Plaisted became the first undisputed person to reach the North Pole over land.[12][13][14][15]
First to the South Pole (1911) – Roald Amundsen, honorary membership in 1912
The Explorers Club held its first regular meeting at its original headquarters in the Studio Building at 23 West 67th Street in New York City.[3] The club finished construction on its next headquarters at 544 Cathedral Parkway in 1928 and there the club continued to expand its extensive collection of artifacts, trophies and books on exploration. In 1965, spurred by Lowell Thomas,[3] the club purchased its current headquarters on the Upper East Side, a six-story Jacobean revival mansion on East 70th Street, where it houses the James B. Ford Exploration Library, the Sir Edmund Hillary Map Room and a collection of artifacts from more than a century of exploration. The building was previously the home of Stephen C. Clark. Certain designated rooms of the club are open to the general public.
Lectures and publications
In the 1920s, the club began to invite both explorers returning from the field and visiting scientists to relate their experiences and findings. By the 1930s these informal gatherings developed into academic lectures and illustrated talks. The club continues to provide weekly lectures and programs, which are often open to the public at its headquarters.[16] In November 1921, The Explorers Club published the first edition of The Explorers Journal to share news from the field, remarks from headquarters, recent acquisitions, obituaries and book reviews. The Explorers Journal is still published quarterly,[17] with articles and photography from Explorers Club members in the field.
The Explorers Club flag has been carried on hundreds of expeditions by club members since 1918. To carry the club flag is an honor and a privilege. It has flown at both poles, from the highest peaks of the greatest mountain ranges, traveled to the depths of the ocean, to the lunar surface, and outer space. A flag expedition must further the cause of exploration and field science.
Use of the flag is governed by stringent standards. To obtain permission to carry the flag, a club member must show that the expedition holds the promise of scientific results. The flag must be exhibited at every suitable opportunity on the expedition, and must be returned to the club along with a written record of the expedition, called the Flag Report. The club's Research Collections is the repository for these unique reports, including the original "Flag Book" — a bound journal of hand-written reports, vintage prints, clippings and assorted records submitted by the explorers who first carried The Explorers Club flag on expeditions.[19]
Today there are 242 numbered flags, each with its own history.[20] Many of the older flags have been retired. The Explorers Club flag has been carried on such expeditions as:
Flag #80 – Tim Taylor FN’04, Citation of Merit Laureate 2008 — Discovery of three lost US WWII submarines: Expedition R-12, Expedition S-26, Expedition S-28[22]
Flag #81 – Victor Vescovo and Patrick Lahey – the Five Deeps expedition[23]
The Explorers Club Medal, the highest honor that can be bestowed by the club, is awarded for "extraordinary contributions directly in the field of exploration, scientific research, or to the welfare of humanity'. Past recipients include:[32]
The Legendary Explorer Medal is given "to recognize a feat of such courage and incredible accomplishment that has transcended the ordinary bounds of history". Past recipients include:[48]
Beyond The Explorers Club Medal and The Legendary Explorer Medal, the club also presents, among others, The Edward C. Sweeney[49] Medal, The Citation of Merit, The Lowell Thomas Award, The Finn Ronne Memorial Award, The Buzz Aldrin Space Exploration Award, The Tenzing Norgay Award, The William Beebe Award, The President’s Award and The New Explorer Award.[50]
Grants
The club also awards a range of grants for field science and exploration, including The Youth Activity Fund Grant, The Exploration Fund Grant[51] and the President's Award for Exploration and Technology. One club award, the Scott Pearlman Field Award for Science and Exploration,[52] is named for one of the youngest club members (inducted at age 22) who was a photographer and participant in three flag expeditions. Scott A. Pearlman contracted hepatitis C and died at the age of 38. Pearlman was a son of Explorers Club member and officer Robert E. Pearlman.
Presidents
Presidents of The Explorers Club are elected by a vote of the Board of Directors after the Annual Meeting. Men and women may offer their name for consideration.
^ abMalko, George. "Scientology, The Now Religion". Delacorte Press. Retrieved October 21, 2019. It is a fact that in 1940... he [Hubbard] was duly elected a member of the august Explorer's Club in New York... In explaining the circumstances of Hubbard's election to the club, Mr. Randol [Ward Randol, the club's executive director] told me in no uncertain terms that he personally knew the members who had sponsored Hubbard and certainly does not hesitate to vouch for their integrity and judgment... In 1940 Hubbard made his first expedition as a member of the Explorer's Club, and was granted the club flag to carry on his voyage, a distinct honor given only when a member's application and description of an intended expedition has been given the severest scrutiny... Hubbard's expedition that year was to Alaska, under the title of the Alaskan-Radio Expedition. In the years since, Hubbard has made two more voyages flying the Explorer's Club flag, one in 1961, an Oceanographic-Archeological Expedition, and one in 1966, the Hubbard Geological Survey Expedition.
^"Chronicle". Media Resources. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2019. On 19 February 1940 L. Ron Hubbard is elected a member of the prestigious Explorers Club. Concurrently he plans an Alaskan expedition, and on 27 July 1940 his Alaskan Radio Experimental Expedition embarks from Seattle. His vessel is the 32-foot ketch Magician, and she sails under Explorers Club flag number 105.
^Dokoupil, Tony (January 29, 2013). "Exclusive New Texts from Scientology's L Ron Hubbard". Newsweek. Retrieved October 21, 2019. In 1940 Hubbard carried the club flag on his first official expedition, sailing a vest-pocket yacht from Washington to Alaska.
^Dokoupil, Tony (January 29, 2013). "Exclusive New Texts from Scientology's L Ron Hubbard". Newsweek. Retrieved October 21, 2019. Explorers Club flags are iconic, coveted awards for serious expeditions...One went to sea with Hubbard for most of the 1960s...the same flag as the astronauts aboard Apollo 8, which in 1968 became the first manned mission to orbit the moon."
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