Random Things You Didn't Know About Antarctica (25 items)

(#13) Antarctica Is Awesome For Meteorite Hunting

Looking for some sweet meteorites to add to your collection? Antarctica is where it's at: the conditions are such that the space rocks are preserved for millions of years. Meteorites are just as likely to fall on the other six continents (or in the ocean), but they get eroded easier elsewhere.
(#2) Antarctica Has Two ATM Machines

Believe it or not, if you need some quick cash at the McMurdo Station - the largest scientific research station on the continent - you're in luck because Wells Fargo installed two ATMs there in 1998. McMurdo is essentially a small town, with coffee shops, a general store, a post office, etc. This closed micro-economy needs cold hard cash to function properly.

Only one of the two machines is operable at any given time, and the trustworthy crew at McMurdo has been trained to repair the machines - swapping parts back and forth if need be.
(#22) An American Man Once Rode His Bike to the South Pole

American Daniel Burton made headlines in 2014 for becoming the first cyclist to travel from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole. Burton left on December 1, 2013, and arrived at the pole on January 21, 2014.

Burton's fifth great-grandfather? American frontiersman Daniel Boone.
(#25) Mining Is Prohibited in Antarctica

Similar to the treaty that prohibits military activity, the Madrid Protocol prohibits mining in Antarctica. Adopted in 1991, the protocol designates the continent as a "natural reserve, devoted to peace and science" where no mining or other environmental damage is allowed.

There is, however, a clause in the protocol that allows the nations involved to review and possibly revoke the mining prohibition 50 years after it was put into action.
(#17) There Are Peaks in Antarctica Named After a Woman's Breasts

Poor Una. A former secretary in the Falkland Islands, not much is known about her except that she must have made a strong impression on the men responsible for naming a particular geographical feature in the Antarctic Peninsula. Until 2008, the pair of peaks in the center of this photograph was known as (seriously) "Una's Tits."

In a resounding victory for feminism (just kidding!) it was changed to the family-friendly but still suggestive "Una Peaks."
(#21) Antarctica Is Home to the World's Southernmost Bar

If you need a cold one in one of the coldest places on the planet, you're in luck! Located at the Vernadsky Base on the Antarctic Peninsula is a traditional English pub serving $3.00 homemade vodka and other delights. It's the southernmost and most remote bar you'll find on the planet.