EXPLORER

Hubert Wilkins

1888 - 1958

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Sir George Hubert Wilkins MC & Bar (31 October 1888 – 30 November 1958), commonly referred to as Captain Wilkins, was an Australian polar explorer, ornithologist, pilot, soldier, geographer, and photographer. He was awarded the Military Cross after he assumed command of a group of American soldiers who had lost their officers during the Battle of the Hindenburg Line, and became the only official Australian photographer from any war to receive a combat medal. He narrowly failed in an attempt to be the first to cross under the North Pole in a submarine, but was able to prove that submarines were capable of operating beneath the polar ice cap, thereby paving the way for future successful missions. The US Navy later took his ashes to the North Pole aboard the submarine USS Skate on 17 March 1959. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Hubert Wilkins is the 467th most popular explorer (up from 473rd in 2019), the 354th most popular biography from Australia (down from 343rd in 2019) and the 2nd most popular Australian Explorer.

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Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Hubert Wilkins ranks 467 out of 498. Before him are Henry Seebohm, Tom Crean, Edgar Evans, Aleksandra Potanina, John Colter, and Robert McClure. After him are Samuel Hearne, Robert O'Hara Burke, Louis Hennepin, Oscar Baumann, Louis-Gustave Binger, and Thomas Button.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1888, Hubert Wilkins ranks 251. Before him are Harold Hardwick, Osvald Moberg, Jacques de Lacretelle, Eduard Bass, Karl Gustafsson, and Jack Holt. After him are Jan Palouš, Walther Penck, Curt Goetz, Victor Schertzinger, William Hood Simpson, and Lucien Hubbard. Among people deceased in 1958, Hubert Wilkins ranks 182. Before him are Harold Smith, Russell Mockridge, Willie Applegarth, Alexandre Schaumasse, Frank Swift, and Marie Pujmanová. After him are Endre Tilli, Eileen Hiscock, Jan Kok, Sam Zimbalist, David Pegg, and Alfred Probst.

Others Born in 1888

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In Australia

Among people born in Australia, Hubert Wilkins ranks 354 out of 1,143. Before him are Banjo Paterson (1864), Vivian McGrath (1916), Mark Viduka (1975), Josip Šimunić (1978), Faith Leech (1941), and Leslie Boardman (1889). After him are Andrew Lesnie (1956), Peta Wilson (1970), Joan Hartigan (1912), Charles Kingsford Smith (1897), Frank Gardner (1931), and Henry Lawson (1867).

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Among EXPLORERS In Australia

Among explorers born in Australia, Hubert Wilkins ranks 2. Before him are Luís Vaz de Torres (1565). After him are Hamilton Hume (1797), John Forrest (1847), and Tim Flannery (1956).

Australian born Explorers

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