First Flight over the South Pole
The first flight over the South Pole took place on November 29, 1929, led by American aviator and Antarctic explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd and his team. Byrd, who had a background in naval aviation and polar exploration, had previously made significant contributions to Arctic exploration, including being one of the first to fly over the North Pole in 1926. His 1929 Antarctic expedition, which began a year earlier, established a base named Little America from where Byrd and three companions undertook the historic flight.
This pioneering achievement not only marked a significant milestone in aviation history but also contributed to the mapping of about 150,000 square miles of Antarctic territory. Byrd's expeditions earned him numerous honors, including the Congressional Medal of Honor and recognition from the National Geographic Society. His work in Antarctica continued throughout his life, culminating in leadership roles during large-scale expeditions and activities related to the International Geophysical Year in the mid-20th century. Byrd's legacy is characterized by his adventurous spirit and dedication to expanding human knowledge of polar regions.
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First Flight over the South Pole
First Flight over the South Pole
On November 29, 1929, pioneer aviator and Antarctic explorer Richard Evelyn Byrd and his companions made the first flight over the South Pole.
Byrd, born on October 25, 1888, in Winchester, Virginia, attended the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, and received a commission in the U.S. Navy. He became fascinated by the new field of aviation and learned how to fly at the Naval Aeronautic Station in Pensacola, Florida. His career in polar exploration began in 1925, when he was named commander of the naval aviation unit accompanying Donald B. MacMillan's expedition to the North Polar regions, sponsored by the National Geographic Society. The next year, Byrd and Floyd Bennett returned to the area and on May 9, 1926, became the first persons to fly over the North Pole. Byrd received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the Society's Hubbard Medal. He and three companions were saluted by New Yorkers with a ticker-tape parade up Broadway after making the first nonstop flight to Europe by a multi-engine aircraft. Byrd won additional support from the National Geographic Society for his first expedition to Antarctica (1928–30).
His party set out from New York on August 25, 1928, and in December established a base called Little America from which Byrd and three others made the first flight over the South Pole on November 29, 1929. The expedition also mapped some 150,000 square miles of Antarctica. Promoted to the rank of rear admiral, Byrd received the Society's special medal of honor from President Herbert Hoover and released a report, Little America, in 1930. He returned to Antarctica several times afterward, and after World War II he led 4,200 men in what was then the largest expedition ever sent to the Antarctic. In 1955 Byrd was placed in command of all American activities in the Antarctic, and in 1955–56 he returned to Antarctica as the head of the first phase of Operation Deep Freeze, the expedition dispatched in connection with the International Geophysical Year (1957–58). While there he made his third flight over the South Pole. By the time Byrd returned home for the last time in March 1956, huge reaches of Antarctica had been explored and charted. He died in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 11, 1957.