Roald Amundsen  (1872 - 1928)

Roald Amundsen has a very special place in Antarctic history. In 1910 he was already an experienced polar explorer, having wintered in Antarctic sea ice in 1898 and led a major Arctic expedition in 1903-1906. In December 1911, in competition with the large British-funded expedition under Robert Scott, he won the race to be first to the South Geographic Pole by means of meticulous planning and a Norwegian's innate knowledge of living and working in ice and snow. Arriving at the Bay of Whales, Antarctica, direct from Europe, he used dog teams to travel the direct route, due south across the Ross Ice Shelf and up the Axel Heiberg Glacier, to arrive at the South Pole a month ahead of Scott's ill-fated party. Unlike Scott, Amundsen survived the polar journey with all his men. He was later to die in an aircraft crash in the Arctic.