Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration 1: Roald Amundsen. « Green Icebergs – a look at the world from a different perspective

Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration 1: Roald Amundsen.

Today I begin a short series on the great explorers of Antarctica with Roald Amundsen, the first person to reach both North and South Poles. This will continue on each Friday.

PHOTO OF THE DAY: The Ross Ice Shelf at the Bay of Whales. This is the southern-most navigable point on the planet and the point where Amundsen started his successful trek to the South Pole. 78 30 S Latitude 164 20W Longitude.

Ross ice shelf at Bay of Whales.

Image Id: corp2519, NOAA At The Ends of the Earth Collection. Location: Ross Sea, Antarctica.
Photo Date: 1999 January. Photographer: Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA.

Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (July 16, 1872 – c. June 18, 1928) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to the South Pole between 1910 and 1912. He was also the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is known as the first to traverse the Northwest passage. He disappeared in June 1928 while taking part in a rescue mission. With Douglas mawson, Robert Falcon Scott, and Ernest Shakleton, Amundsen was a key expedition leader during the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration.

Roald Amundsen