The character arc of Ann Daniels

A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record

Born in 1964 or 1965 in Bradford, with four older brothers, to an insurance salesman and a secretary. Between then and now sit a career at a bank and promotion to assistant bank manager, that post given up in 1994 when her triplets were born, a first North Pole in 1997, both poles reached as part of all-women teams by 2002, a solo attempt from Russia called off in 2005, an honorary degree and a radio appearance in 2007, and Arctic survey expeditions led in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The line below draws the story so far, in order.

Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.

Who is Ann Daniels?

Triplets in 1994, and the North Pole in 1997.

She grew up in Bradford with four older brothers, the daughter of an insurance salesman and a secretary. She worked for a bank and was promoted to assistant bank manager, which is a settled career with a settled shape. She gave the post up in 1994, when her triplets were born.

Three years later she reached the North Pole for the first time, on a relay expedition in 1997. She has been back at least six times. In 2002 she and her team-mate Caroline Hamilton became the first women to reach both the North Pole and the South Pole as part of all-women teams, which is a first that had stood unclaimed for the whole history of polar travel.

Not everything worked. Her first attempt to reach the North Pole alone, walking from Russia, was called off in 2005. She appeared on a long-running radio programme in January 2007 and received an honorary degree the same year. Between 2009 and 2011 she led three Arctic survey expeditions, taking scientific measurements on the sea ice. She is the mother of four, three of them the triplets.

The moments

Ann Daniels's timeline.

The 1990s

~1993

Assistant bank manager

Everyday. A promotion, a title, and a career going where careers go.

~1994

Triplets, and she resigns

Milestone, and it changed everything. Three babies at once, and the job went.

1 Jan 1996

Go to the ice

Crossroads, decided.

The paths laid out: train for the Pole, taken, or go back to the bank. She reached the North Pole in 1997 and both poles with all-women teams by 2002.

~1997

The North Pole, first time

Milestone, and it changed everything. Three years after the triplets, she was standing at the top of the world.

The 2000s

~2002

Both poles, all women

Milestone, and it changed everything. A first that had gone unclaimed for the whole history of polar travel.

~2005

The solo walk is called off

Setback, and it changed everything. Alone, from Russia, and it did not happen.

Jan 2007

A castaway, and a degree

Milestone. A radio programme people are invited onto once in a life, and a doctorate.

~2009

Three surveys, led

Milestone, and it changed everything. Not a dash to a point any more. Measurements, taken on the ice, for three years.

Bradford and the bank are a long way behind her, and the ice is still where she works. What it has set moving is a very short argument against a very common excuse: she was a mother of three, in her thirties, with a career she had already built, and she went anyway.

Your turn

Every line draws a unique story.

Hers left a bank counter and newborn triplets behind and walked to the North Pole. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.

Step through

Draw my own line Explore Character Arc

Ann Daniels: frequently asked questions

What people ask about her line.

What is Ann Daniels's character arc?

An assistant bank manager in Bradford who gave up the post in 1994 when her triplets were born, reached the North Pole for the first time in 1997, and by 2002 had reached both poles as part of all-women teams.

What did Ann Daniels do before becoming an explorer?

She worked for a bank and was promoted to assistant bank manager. She gave that post up in 1994, when her triplets were born, and reached the North Pole for the first time three years later.

What record does Ann Daniels hold?

She and her team-mate Caroline Hamilton were the first women to reach both the North Pole and the South Pole as part of all-women teams, in 2002. She has been to the North Pole at least six times.

Did Ann Daniels reach the North Pole alone?

Not on that attempt. Her first solo effort, walking from Russia, was called off in 2005. She has reached the pole at least six times on team expeditions, beginning with a relay in 1997.

What expeditions has Ann Daniels led?

She led Catlin Arctic Survey expeditions in 2009, 2010 and 2011, alongside Pen Hadow, taking scientific measurements on the sea ice rather than simply travelling to a point on the map.

How many children does Ann Daniels have?

Four. Three of them are triplets, two girls and a boy, from her first marriage, and she has a daughter from a second partner. The triplets were born in 1994, the year she gave up her bank post.

Where does this timeline of Ann Daniels's life come from?

From the public record. Character Arc drew every moment on this line from the sources listed at the foot of the page, and the kind and weight of each moment are our editorial reading. Ann Daniels isn't a Member of Character Arc and has no connection with it, and no feeling is attributed to her.

More character arcs

Lives that rhyme with her.

Every Character, A to Z

Sources

Ann Daniels, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
BBC Radio, Desert Island Discs, 21 January 2007.
Catlin Arctic Survey expedition records, 2009 to 2011.