August 25, 1956: 68 years ago, the world’s first nuclear icebreaker “Lenin” was launched, and 94 years ago, Soviet polar explorers discovered the western shores of Severnaya Zemlya. In Leningrad, at the A. Marti shipyard (now the Admiralty Shipyards), the nuclear icebreaker “Lenin” was launched, becoming the first surface vessel in the world with a nuclear power plant. Soviet scientists proved the possibility of effectively using atomic energy for peaceful purposes. The construction of the icebreaker was closely watched by the whole world, as it was considered a technological marvel. The role of the first nuclear-powered icebreaker in the exploration of the Arctic and the development of the Northern Sea Route cannot be overstated. For 30 years, the vessel served researchers faithfully. Today, the icebreaker is permanently stationed in Murmansk, where it has been converted into a museum. August 25, 1930: Soviet polar explorers discovered the western shores of Severnaya Zemlya. In mid-July 1930, an expedition led by Otto Schmidt set out from Arkhangelsk towards Novaya Zemlya. In August, they reached previously unexplored regions of the Arctic Ocean. During this expedition, the northern part of the Kara Sea was studied for the first time, and the Vize, Schmidt, and Sedov archipelago islands were discovered. On August 25, they discovered the western shores of Severnaya Zemlya. On Domashniy Island, the researchers built a new polar station. For two consecutive years, four polar explorers led by Georgy Ushakov conducted research on Severnaya Zemlya. Incidentally, the discovery of Severnaya Zemlya, which occurred in September 1913, is considered the last truly major geographical discovery, more about which can be read in the GoArctic article. August 26, 1919: The legendary polar captain Yuri Kuchiev was born. Yuri Sergeevich Kuchiev (1919–2005) was born in North Ossetia. In 1941, he was recruited as a sailor on the tugboat “Vasily Molokov” in the port of Dixon. During World War II, he was part of the convoys of the Northern Fleet. From 1944 to 1962, he served as the assistant captain of the icebreakers “Ermak,” “Malygin,” “Sibiryakov,” “Ilya Muromets,” and “Krasin.” He later became the captain of the icebreakers “Murmansk,” “Kiev,” and deputy captain of the nuclear icebreaker “Lenin.” In 1964, he became the captain of “Lenin.” From 1975, he was the captain of the nuclear icebreaker “Arktika.” On August 17, 1977, this icebreaker became the first in the world to reach the North Pole in surface navigation. Hero of Socialist Labor. According to Captain Kuchiev’s will, his ashes were scattered in the vicinity of the North Pole.