Nathaniel Palmer (1799 - 1877) was a sailor in the United States Navy. He was born in Stonington, Connecticut.
On November 17, 1820, while searching for new seal rookeries, young "Captain Nat" became one of the first three people, and the first American, to see Antarctica. The Palmer Peninsula and Palmer Station are named after him.
History of Antarctica
Account of Nathaniel Palmer's sighting of Antarctica (http://www.south-pole.com/aspp100.htm)
