The Keystone View Company began producing its Keystone “600 Set” stereoview sets in 1906; it was a set of 600 black and white photographic images printed on stereoview cards specifically for educational use in the classroom, and came with the Visual Education: Teachers’ Guide to Keystone “600 Set” book. Stereoviews are two separate images printed side by side, often on a card; when viewed through a stereoscope, the images appear as one three-dimensional image. The “600 Set” depicted scenes from around the world, and had descriptive text printed on the back, as well as questions for use in a classroom setting. Each stereoview was also identified by a stereoview number. Besides the stereoview cards, Keystone also produced the "600 Set" as glass lantern slides. Keystone updated the "600 Set" over the course of its publication, adding new images from events such as the discovery of the South Pole in 1911, and continued selling the “600 Set” until the early 1950s.

The Belgian Antarctic Expedition (1897-1899) was a Belgian expedition credited with being the first expedition of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. It was led by Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery, and was the first expedition to winter over, or spend the entire winter, in the Antarctic region after their ship the Belgica became trapped in ice for almost an entire year. Other members of the crew included Frederick A. Cook and Roald Amundsen, both of whom would go on to lead other expeditions in the polar regions. Cook allegedly was the first man to reach the North Pole on April 21, 1908; Amundsen was the first man to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911.