Academician Fedorov, the human and the atomic powered ice-breaker Eugenie Fedorov from Bendery was a participant of the wide-famous expedition to the Arctic. During 274 days the whole world watched the life of four men on the drift-ice research unit "The North Pole-1".
The wind of long travellings Bendery is known to be the town of three academicians. Lev Berg, Konstantin Gedroits and Eugenie Fedorov were born there. But the street is named only in honor of the famous polar explorer. The officer Konstantin Fedorov came to Bendery at the beginning of the 20th century. The most of young ladies were charmed of him. But he married Anna. And then their son was born. The Fedorovs had to move to Vladivostok. The time was stormy. Fedorov-the elder fought during the I World War and then he became a commander of the Red Army at the Civil War. Meanwhile his son grew in Nizhniy Novgorod and his wife worked at the clothes factory there. Zhenya, the future academician, dreamt about discoveries since childhood. So he entered Leningrad University. Later he wrote in his "The Polar diaries": "I hoped for combination of science and working at the nature:" And he got both.
Kerosene, alcohol and something else In 1937th messages from the whole world came to "The North Pole-1". Ivan Papanin was the chief of the expedition. Fedorov, Piotr Shirshov, Ernst Krenkel and the dog Merry also appeared in the Arctic. These names were known to every citizen of the Soviet Union. Boys were crazy about polar bears and ice-bergs. They listened to daily broadcastings holding their breath. "The North Pole-1" was situated on the drifting ice-floe. Its crew shipped via 9 months. The way began from the North Pole. The explorers had to cross 2500 kilometers of arctic seas. Four men found themselves among silence of polar night. Later when outstanding travelers met, they remembered funny scenes from their navigation. They made alcohol from Armenian cognac for preservation specimens of local living creatures. Once they ate soup with "flavor" of kerosene because of broken bottle with this liquid. In addition Merry appeared to be a naughty and playful dog. Above all this scientific group learnt moving of ice, watched sea currents:By the way the regular weather forecast began from this drift-ice research unit. Academician Fedorov described their life day by day in his book "The Polar diaries". Another native of Bendery sailor Roman Kozhuhar made acquaintance with a famous fellow-towns man in Murmansk. - Once in the evening I dropped into a caf?, - he said. - Suddenly I saw Fedorov and came to introduce myself. The Hero of the Soviet Union behaved very simply. He remembered Bendery with good emotions. He had been to home town many times and was impressed by its changing from year to year. Fedorov's science activity was successful. He took part in different polar expeditions and was rewarded by medals, orders and science titles. The famous traveler formed the Institute of applied geophysics of hydrometeorology service of the USSR. And now he is loved and remembered there.
70 years later 70 years later "Academician Fedorov" arrived to the Arctic again. This time it was the atomic-powered ice-breaker. It went the North Sea way laid by Eugenie Fedorov. 
(on photo - Ac. Fedorov Street, Bendery)
Natalia Barbier.
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