On the 11th of July 1897, the world breathlessly awaited word from the small Norwegian island of Danskøya in the Arctic Sea. The undertaking was led by renowned engineer Salomon August Andrée, and he was accompanied by his research companions Nils Strindberg and Knut Fraenkel. The whole flying apparatus had been christened the "Örnen," the Swedish word for "Eagle." Andrée commanded after clambering into the Eagle himself, and the ground crew slashed at the lines binding the balloon to the Earth. Andrée, Strindberg, and Fraenkel would not arrive on the other side of the planet as planned.