OR

source:wikipedia.org
16 Jul, 1872
18 Jun, 1928
Plane crash
Norwegian
Explorer
55
Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who is best known for being the first person to reach the South Pole, the first to fly over the North Pole and the first to traverse the Northwest Passage. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest explorers of all time.
Amundsen was born in 1872 in Norway to a family of shipowners and captains. After being inspired by the stories of Sir John Franklin, he decided to pursue a career in exploration and joined the Belgian Antarctic Expedition in 1897. He gained a lot of valuable experience and skills during this expedition.
Amundsen led his own expedition in 1903 to sail through the Northwest Passage which was a sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic Archipelago. It took him and his crew three years to successfully complete the crossing in 1906.
Amundsen’s next goal was to reach the North Pole but he changed plans when he found out that Robert Peary and Frederick Cook both claimed to reach it in 1909. He changed course and traveled south with the goal of being the first one to reach the South Pole. Amundsen set sail on the Fram, a ship that was specially designed for polar expeditions and set up a base camp on Ross Ice Shelf. Amundsen and his companions departed from the base in 1911 used skis and sled dogs and reached the South Pole.
Roald Amundsen’s final days were marked by a daring rescue mission. On June 18, 1928, Amundsen and a crew of five men took off from Tromsø, Norway, in a French Latham 47 flying boat. They were searching for survivors of the crashed airship Italia. Tragically, Amundsen and his team never returned from this mission.
The exact circumstances of Amundsen’s death remain a mystery. It is believed that the plane crashed in the Barents Sea, possibly after flying into dense fog. Despite extensive searches, only a wing float and a fuel tank from the aircraft were ever found. Amundsen was 55 years old when he disappeared. The Norwegian government called off the search in September 1928, and the bodies of Amundsen and his crew were never recovered.
Amundsen left behind an extraordinary legacy as one of the greatest polar explorers in history. He was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles, and the first to navigate the Northwest Passage. His meticulous planning and willingness to learn from indigenous Arctic peoples set new standards for polar exploration. Amundsen’s achievements continue to inspire adventurers and scientists today, and his name lives on in the many geographical features, ships, and institutions named in his honor.
Roald Amundsen
Roald Amundsen
Male
Plane crash
Borge, Østfold, Norway
Barents Sea
Virtuoso: Roald Amundsen can best be best be described as a man of action who loved to jump into action to discover new things.
His first polar trip was on a Belgian expedition under Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery.
Amundsen was able to prove that the magnetic north pole moves.
He was the first person to reach the South Pole.
He toured Japan for six months giving lectures about his adventures.
Roald Amundsen studied medicine but he gave it up after the death of both his parents.
Roald Amundsen won the Hubbard Medal in 1907
He won the Charles P. Daly Medal in 1912
He was named Grand Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour
He received the Medal of Merit in Gold and in Crown in 1907
He received a Medal for Outstanding Civic Service in 1925
He was named Knight of the Imperial Order of Saint Anna
He received the Congressional Medal in 1928
He received the Commemorative Medal for the 1910-1911 Fram Expedition to the South Pole
He received the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav in 1906
Amundsen was awarded the Vega Medal in 1913
Amundsen won the Grand Gold Medal of Exploration and Journeys of Discovery in 1913
He was appointed Commander Grand Cross of the Royal Order of the North Star in 1912
He was awarded the Vega Medal in 1913
He was named Knight of the Royal Order of the Crown
He received the Order of Franz Joseph in 1907
He received the Livingstone Medal in 1925.
Amundsen was named Knight of the Order of Leopold
He was named Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy
Amundsen won the Alexander von Humboldt Medal in 1912