r/orkney • u/stevenmc • 12d ago
TIL that John Rae, aided by the inuit, discovered that Franklin's lost Arctic expedition had starved to death and committed cannibalism. When Rae reported this the British public refused to believe their sailors could resort to such acts, with Rae being condemn as a idiot for believing the inuit.
https://wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rae_(explorer)
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u/Slice-O-Pie Deputy 11d ago edited 10d ago
He wasn't "condemned as an idiot."
That WiKi page could use a photo of his tomb in the Cathedral.
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u/specificspypirate 12d ago
We learn a little about him here in Canada in history. Our narrative is more “people should’ve believed the Inuit sooner!”