Ranulph Fiennes

Fiennes was born in England, spending part of his childhood in South Africa. The family returned to England when he was 12-years-old and he was educated at Eton. Like his father, Fiennes joined the Royal Scots Greys before switching to the elite SAS regiment.

There, he became the youngest captain in the British Army, where he spent eight years. He was dismissed from service following a practical joke, in which the set of the movie 'Doctor Doolittle' was blown up. Following this, he moved to the Middle East to join the Sultan of Oman's forces.

In 1970, Fiennes married Virginia Pepper, whom he had known since childhood. It was at this point he began leading major expeditions, travelling up the White Nile in 1969 and journeying into the Jostedalsbre Glacier in 1970.

Amongst his greatest adventures was the 52,000 mile Transglobe Expedition between 1979 and 1982, the first surface journey around the world's polar axis. It had taken seven years to plan and three years to complete – he and his partner, Charles Burton, were the first men to reach both poles. Fiennes also undertook the PUNS Expeditions, gaining the record for Furthest North Unsupported in 1986, and again in 1990.

Awarded an honorary doctorate of science by Loughborough University in 1983, he also received the recognition of the Explorer's Club of New York. The following year he was awarded the Founder's Medal by the Royal Geographical Society and the Polar Medal with Bar from the Queen.

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