John Rae

John Rae was born in Orkney in 1813. He studied medicine at Edinburgh Medical School and the Royal College of Surgeons. Following graduation in 1833, he went to work as a ship’s surgeon on a boat bound for Canada.

John transitioned into exploration of the Canadian Arctic and used his medical skills to understand human physiology under extreme conditions. He learnt many skills from the indigenous people of the Canadian Arctic which were key to his success as an explorer.

John played a significant role in searching for Sir John Franklin’s lost expedition in the 1850s but faced controversy and criticism in London where his report on the fate of the expedition was said to challenge Victorian England’s scientific prejudices.

His Arctic expeditions led to significant discoveries, including the mapping of the Arctic coast and the discovery of Rae Strait, a crucial link in the Northwest Passage. He was awarded the Founder's Gold Medal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1852 for his discoveries.

John died in London in 1893, having mapped around 1,750 miles of Arctic coast either on foot or in small boats.