1911 : Amundsen reaches South Pole
Norwegian Roald Amundsen becomes the first explorer to reach the South
Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott.
Amundsen, born in Borge, near Oslo, in 1872, was one of the great
figures in polar exploration. In 1897, he was first mate on a Belgian
expedition that was the first ever to winter in the Antarctic. In
1903, he guided the 47-ton sloop Gjöa through the Northwest Passage
and around the Canadian coast, the first navigator to accomplish the
treacherous journey. Amundsen planned to be the first man to the North
Pole, and he was about to embark in 1909 when he learned that the
American Robert Peary had achieved the feat.
Amundsen completed his preparations and in June 1910 sailed instead
for Antarctica, where the English explorer Robert F. Scott was also
headed with the aim of reaching the South Pole. In early 1911,
Amundsen sailed his ship into Antarctica's Bay of Whales and set up
base camp 60 miles closer to the pole than Scott. In October, both
explorers set off--Amundsen using sleigh dogs, and Scott employing
Siberian motor sledges, Siberian ponies, and dogs. On December 14,
1911, Amundsen's expedition won the race to the Pole and returned
safely to base camp in late January.
Scott's expedition was less fortunate. The motor sleds broke down, the
ponies had to be shot, and the dog teams were sent back as Scott and
four companions continued on foot. On January 18, 1912, they reached
the pole only to find that Amundsen had preceded them by over a month.
Weather on the return journey was exceptionally bad--two members
perished--and a storm later trapped Scott and the other two survivors
in their tent only 11 miles from their base camp. Scott's frozen body
was found later that year.
After his historic Antarctic journey, Amundsen established a
successful shipping business. He later made attempts to become the
first explorer to fly over the North Pole. In 1925, in an airplane, he
flew within 150 miles of the goal. In 1926, he passed over the North
Pole in a dirigible just three days after American explorer Richard E.
Byrd had apparently done so in an aircraft. In 1996, a diary that Byrd
had kept on the flight was found that seemed to suggest that the he
had turned back 150 miles short of its goal because of an oil leak,
making Amundsen's dirigible expedition the first flight over the North
Pole.
In 1928, Amundsen lost his life while trying to rescue a fellow
explorer whose dirigible had crashed at sea near Spitsbergen, Norway.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1911 : Amundsen reaches South Pole
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=7111
1799 : George Washington dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5600
1900 : The birth of quantum theory
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5601
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Norwegian Roald Amundsen becomes the first explorer to reach the South
Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott.
Amundsen, born in Borge, near Oslo, in 1872, was one of the great
figures in polar exploration. In 1897, he was first mate on a Belgian
expedition that was the first ever to winter in the Antarctic. In
1903, he guided the 47-ton sloop Gjöa through the Northwest Passage
and around the Canadian coast, the first navigator to accomplish the
treacherous journey. Amundsen planned to be the first man to the North
Pole, and he was about to embark in 1909 when he learned that the
American Robert Peary had achieved the feat.
Amundsen completed his preparations and in June 1910 sailed instead
for Antarctica, where the English explorer Robert F. Scott was also
headed with the aim of reaching the South Pole. In early 1911,
Amundsen sailed his ship into Antarctica's Bay of Whales and set up
base camp 60 miles closer to the pole than Scott. In October, both
explorers set off--Amundsen using sleigh dogs, and Scott employing
Siberian motor sledges, Siberian ponies, and dogs. On December 14,
1911, Amundsen's expedition won the race to the Pole and returned
safely to base camp in late January.
Scott's expedition was less fortunate. The motor sleds broke down, the
ponies had to be shot, and the dog teams were sent back as Scott and
four companions continued on foot. On January 18, 1912, they reached
the pole only to find that Amundsen had preceded them by over a month.
Weather on the return journey was exceptionally bad--two members
perished--and a storm later trapped Scott and the other two survivors
in their tent only 11 miles from their base camp. Scott's frozen body
was found later that year.
After his historic Antarctic journey, Amundsen established a
successful shipping business. He later made attempts to become the
first explorer to fly over the North Pole. In 1925, in an airplane, he
flew within 150 miles of the goal. In 1926, he passed over the North
Pole in a dirigible just three days after American explorer Richard E.
Byrd had apparently done so in an aircraft. In 1996, a diary that Byrd
had kept on the flight was found that seemed to suggest that the he
had turned back 150 miles short of its goal because of an oil leak,
making Amundsen's dirigible expedition the first flight over the North
Pole.
In 1928, Amundsen lost his life while trying to rescue a fellow
explorer whose dirigible had crashed at sea near Spitsbergen, Norway.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1911 : Amundsen reaches South Pole
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=7111
1799 : George Washington dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5600
1900 : The birth of quantum theory
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5601
#########################################
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