Russia and the International Polar Year, 1882–1883

While it is well known that the originator of the plans for the first International Polar Year was Carl Weyprecht, and that Georg Neumayer was important in guiding the project in its early stages and to eventual fruition, the pivotal role of Heinrich Wild, who became chairman of the International Polar Commission, and was a member of the St Petersburg Academy of Sciences and of the Russian Geographical Society, has been largely overlooked in this context. Furthermore the important work undertaken by the Russian scientific establishment with regard to the project is also little known. This paper seeks to throw light on these matters. Because of the difference in 12 days in the Russian and European calendars in the 19th century, for the sake of clarity, only the new (European) calendar is employed in the text.