# Crossing the north and south poles

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-the-north-and-south-poles/248638>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 4, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-the-north-and-south-poles/248638 "2004-06-04T15:41:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-the-north-and-south-poles/248638/1 "2004-06-04T15:41:14Z")

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Back in the turn of the century a number of explorers attempted reaching the poles.

How did the contemporary technology tell them how to do this?

I assume it was some computation based on an accurate timepiece and sextant.

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**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\
**Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crossing-the-north-and-south-poles/248638/2 "2004-06-04T15:51:52Z")

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I had the [same question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=63515) back in 2001.

Zev Steinhardt