John Franklin was an English explorer and navigator who is best known for his ill-fated expedition to the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage. Franklin was born in 1786 in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England. He was the ninth of twelve children born to a middle-class family. His father was a shopkeeper and his mother was a schoolteacher.
Franklin was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Louth, Lincolnshire. He joined the Royal Navy in 1801 at the age of 15 and served in the Napoleonic Wars. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1806 and was assigned to the HMS Bellerophon. He was later assigned to the HMS Rainbow and then the HMS Trent. During his time in the Royal Navy, Franklin was involved in several expeditions, including a survey of the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador.
In 1818, Franklin was chosen to lead an expedition to explore the Arctic. The expedition was funded by the British Admiralty and the Royal Society. The goal of the expedition was to find the Northwest Passage, a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The expedition set sail from England in May 1845 with two ships, the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror.
Franklin and his crew sailed through the Arctic for three years, but were unable to find the Northwest Passage. In 1848, the ships became trapped in the ice and the crew was forced to abandon them. Franklin and his crew were never seen again.
The search for Franklin and his crew began almost immediately. Numerous expeditions were sent to the Arctic in search of the missing men, but all were unsuccessful. In 1854, the British Admiralty offered a reward of £20,000 for anyone who could find Franklin and his crew.
In 1859, the search for Franklin was finally successful. A search party led by explorer Leopold McClintock found evidence of Franklin and his crew on King William Island. The evidence included a note written by Franklin in 1847, which stated that the crew had abandoned the ships and were attempting to reach the mainland.
The search for Franklin and his crew had a lasting impact on Arctic exploration. It inspired other explorers to search for the Northwest Passage and led to the mapping of much of the Arctic. Franklin's legacy also lives on in the names of many places in the Arctic, including Franklin Strait and Franklin Bay.
John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to the Arctic is remembered as one of the most famous and tragic explorations in history. His courage and determination in the face of adversity have inspired generations of explorers. His legacy will continue to live on for many years to come.