11 июля 1897 года была предпринята попытка исследовать Арктику на воздушном шаре.

Swedish engineer and aeronaut Salomon August Andrée, with his two companions, departed from Spitzbergen in an air balloon. The balloon, created by Andrée himself, bore a proud name, Eagle. Its volume was over 4.000 cubic meters, it was filled with hydrogen and managed by a sail fastened to a complicated system of ropes. The travelers sent the balloon to the North Pole and disappeared for many years. In 1930, their bodies, camp and equipment were found in the White Island, part of Franz Josef Land. The Arctic remembers the courageous explorer: the northern part of Spitzbergen bears the name of Andrée Land.