Antarctica · 1939
America built a 37-ton truck to drive to the South Pole
In 1939 America built a 37-ton truck with a plane on its roof for Antarctica. It drove off a bridge in Ohio, and in the snow it drove better in reverse.
What is said in this reel
In 1939, America built a truck to drive to the South Pole, 37 tons, with a plane on the roof, 55 feet long, 10 foot tires. It could even cross a crevass. Then, on the way to its ship, it drove off a bridge into a creek in Ohio. It was stuck for three days. About 125,000 people came to look. In Antarctica, it rolled off the ship, and the smooth tires just spun. Then the crew found a trick. It drove better in reverse. Its longest trip, 92 miles. Backwards. In the end, they parked it and left it. In 1958, explorers dug it out of 23 feet of snow. Then the ice shelf broke apart, and no one has seen it since. It's still down there, under the ice, or at the bottom of sea.
Credits and sources
- Photos: U.S. Antarctic Service Expedition, 1940 (public domain)
- Film: U.S. Navy, 1946, via a PeriscopeFilm upload
- Footage: YouTube home-movie videos by Beachhouse Videos, David Curry / Rue Melching, Andrew Smyth and whatsappuniversity
- Illustrations: AI-generated (labelled on screen)
- Narration: AI-generated voice.
