Although first encircled by Capt Cook in 1773-4, Antarctica was not "discovered" until 1840 and the first humans to winter here did not do so until 1899. For the next 60 years or so the continent was the sole province of explorers and scientists with the Antarctic Treaty being signed in 1959 to ensure the non-exploitation of the continent. However, in 1958 Chile and Argentina took more than 500 fare-paying passengers on two cruises to the South Shetland Islands by ship (aboard the Les Eclaireurs, an Argentine naval transport ship) in January and February, carrying about 100 passengers on each cruise. By 1966, the concept of "expedition cruising", coupled with education as a major theme, had been introduced when Lars-Eric Lindblad lead the first traveller's expedition to Antarctica. In 1969 the modern expedition cruise industry was born with the emergence of the Lindblad Explorer, the first passenger cruise ship designed specifically for carrying tourists to Antarctica.
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