Ross, Sir James Clark (1800-1862), was a British polar explorer. He led an expedition to the Antarctic aboard the ships Erebus and Terror from 1839 to 1843 and discovered the Ross Ice Shelf, Victoria Land, and Mount Erebus, an active volcano. He reached 78° 10′ south latitude, the southernmost point reached by any person until 1900. His uncle, Sir John Ross, and Sir William Edward Parry trained him during six Arctic voyages in search of the Northwest Passage between 1818 and 1834. Ross discovered the north magnetic pole in 1831 while serving under his uncle. Ross was born on April 15, 1800, in London. He died on April 3, 1862.
