Antarctica History: Roald Amundsen

To help our students and blog readers better understand our pen pal program with the USAP, I have written a few short articles on Antarctic explorers. One of the most important explorers was Roald Amundsen from Norway, who explored both the North and South Poles. He used a very precise, even scientific, approach towards exploration. Nothing was left to chance; everything was carefully planned.

His greatest achievement was being the first human being to reach the South Pole, along with his crew. With a team of four men, 52 dogs, and four sleds, Amundsen reached the South Pole in December of 1911. As proof that he achieved this, he left a small tent and a Norwegian flag and a hand-written note. Several weeks later, the British crew under Robert Falcon Scott found the tent. Amundsen's tent is depicted in the picture above which was sent to us by our pen pal in the USAP, John Miller, via email. The painting was done to commerate the 60th anniversay of the discovery by Amundsen. It was donated to the Americans at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station by Finn Ronne, the explorer and husband of Erika Ronne, who was the first American woman on an Antarctic expedition. See the story below about Erika.

Our USAP pen pal John Miller spent a night in a replica of this Amundsen tent, which Scott also used when he reached the Pole. We held a student writing contest about this several months ago, and it is described on this blog, scroll down.

Roald Amundsen died mysteriously while flying in an airplane on a rescue mission near the Arctic (not Antarctic). His plane went down and was never found.

(One photo is of Amundsen on a sea voyage to the Arctic. The painting is of Amundsen at the South Pole sent to us from John Miller, USAP. The Amundsen ship photo is in public domain from Wikimedia Commons. The painting is courtesy of our friends at the USAP. The other photo was sent to me by John Miller, USAP. It is of Amundsen and his crew near their tent at the South Pole in 1911. It is the basis for the commemorative painting.)

-- Adrian