Robert Falcon Scott was a British explorer who, on June 17, 1912, reached the South Pole in Antarctica only to find that the Norwegian explorer, Amundsen, had got there first—thirty-four days earlier. Although Amundsen's team returned safely, Scott and his four companions died on their way back to base camp. Both teams faced the same extreme weather conditions and had to navigate inhospitable terrain with dangerous crevasses and floating ice shelves, so it wasn't long after the event that people began to speculate about why Scott's journey had ended in disaster. Some said it was the choice of clothing. Amundsen's team wore furs, which they argued were better protection against the icy weather, whereas Scott's men wore woollen clothing. I don't believe this was a significant factor as notes from both expeditions hardly mention the matter. Scott used ponies and motorized vehicles to pull the sledges loaded with equipment but Amundsen took only dogs. The ponies were unable to cope with the difficult conditions and died. The motorized vehicles broke down. Amundsen's dogs, on the other hand, performed well. One final point to note: it was usual at that time for expeditions to incorporate an element of scientific exploration. As a result, Scott's men carried around 14 kilograms of rock samples with them all the way to the pole. This must have intensified their state of exhaustion and malnourishment. Amundsen's expedition, by contrast.