The day the serum arrived at Nome – level 3

02-02-1925

In mid-January 1925, the remote city of Nome, Alaska faced an outbreak of a deadly disease. The only hope was to transport life-saving serum to Nome as quickly as possible. However, the city was isolated from the rest of the world due to harsh winter weather conditions and no plane could be used to deliver the serum.

The only option was to transport the serum by dog sled, over 1,000 km of dangerous and snow-covered terrain with temperatures dropping below −40 °C.

The serum was transported by a relay of dog sled teams, with each traveling around 50 to 80 km before handing off the serum to the next team.

The serum arrived in Nome on February 2, 1925, just six days after the decision was made to transport it by dog sled, and many lives were saved.

Difficult words: outbreak (a moment when a disease starts in an area), sled (a vehicle used for travel on snow), relay (working one after another).

What challenges did the mushers face on their mission to deliver the life-saving serum?

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