Oates Sacrificed Himself During Expedition

During the Terra Nova Expedition's return from the South Pole in March 1912, British army officer and Antarctic explorer Lawrence Oates suffered from severe frostbite and gangrene. Knowing that his failing health reduced his three companions' chances of survival, he asked them to leave him behind, but they refused. Oates then walked from their tent into a -40 F (-40 C) blizzard, saying, "I am just going outside and may be some time." British explorer Robert Falcon Scott called it the "act of a brave man and an English gentleman," and Oates's body was never found.

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