So far there have been a total of 165 people that have walked to the South Pole. You can compare this to the number of countries in the world (191), the number of people who have been up into outer space (over 400) or the number of people who have climbed Everest (over 1100). Roald Amundsen was the first person to reach  the Pole on 14th December 1911. He was closely (and more famously!) followed by Robert Falcon Scott who arrived a month later on the 17th of January. As everyone knows, Scott and his four companions died on the return trip: first to go was Evans at the foot of the Beardmore glacier, then Oates who walked out of the tent into a blizzard with the immortal last words "I am just going outside and may be some time" , and then finally Scott, Wilson and Bowers froze to death in their tent just 11 miles short of the safety of a large supply depot. A detailed history of the early expeditions of discovery can be found here.

Three years later in December 1914 Ernest Shackelton commenced an expedition to cross the Antarctic from one side to the other. However even before landing on the coast of Antarctica his ship Endurance became stuck in the ice. There then commenced probably the most heroic of all the Southern adventures as Shackleton and his companions engaged in a momentous struggle for survival and eventual rescue. After drifting in the ice of the Weddell Sea for nine months the Endurance eventually sank after being crushed by the moving ice. The party of 28 men then camped on the ice for five more months before an opening allowed them to take to three small lifeboats for Elephant Island in the South Shetlands. In April 1916 Shackleton and five of his men left Elephant Island in the lifeboat James Caird, and after 15 days crossing the Southern Ocean they arrived at the island of South Georgia. Unfortunately they had landed on the wrong side of the island, and Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley had to cross the island over very difficult terrain to reach a whaling station at Stromness and safety. Shackleton then tried to rescue the 22 men left behind on Elephant Island and eventually succeeded on his fourth attempt using the Chilean ship Yelcho in August 1916. The whole journey lasted a period of 20 months and every man survived. However, on the opposite side of the continent the Ross Sea Party tasked with laying depots for Shackleton's journey from the Pole was not so fortunate - three men from that party died after enduring extraordinarily difficult conditions, although the rest were eventually rescued in 1917.

Shackleton's goal of crossing the continent was not achieved until forty years later in 1958/9 by Vivian Fuchs and Sir Edmund Hillary. This was accomplished using a great deal of equipment. By then there were bases all over Antarctica, including one at the South Pole.

Right up until 1980 only 21 people had travelled overland to the Pole. However from this date onwards the frequency of journeys increased. Ranulph Fiennes has crossed the continent twice, the second time in 1992/3 which was the first full traverse on foot. Since 1999 there have been regular commercial expeditions involving paying customers.

Most recently over the 2003/4 season two British women almost simultaneously broke the record for the fastest journeys to the Pole, both travelling solo and unsupported. Fiona Thornewill did it in 42 days and Rosie Stancer arrived 3 days later having completed the trip in 44 days.