How Antarctica became home to a new kind of scientific diplomacy

The International Geophysical Year in 1957 paved the way for the Antarctic treaty, an accord born amid the cold war that continues to reserve an entire continent for peace and science

It all started over dinner: on 1 July 1957, the International Geophysical Year began, paving the way for an international agreement like no other - the Antarctic treaty - which reserves an entire continent for peace and science.

Today's Antarctica is a tightly regulated continent surrounded by equally carefully managed and cared-for oceans. The Antarctic treaty ensures that Antarctica is used only for peaceful purposes, and that there is freedom of scientific investigation.