ROALD AMUNDSEN:
1872-1928, Norwegian explorer.

Born near Oslo Norway, Amundsen studied medicine but later changed his mind
and went to sea. He was a member of the first party to winter in the
Antarctic on the Belgica in 1898. He became the first to travel the Northwest
passage in his ship Gjoa, (1903-06).

He planned to drift across the North Pole in Nansen's ship the Fram. News
of Peary's conquest of the North Pole caused him to secretly change his plans
and head south in Nansen's ship without informing anyone, even Nansen. His
expedition to the South Pole was a masterpiece of organization and concerted
purpose. With seemingly no effort on ski, Amundsen and four companions arrived at
the South Pole on 14 December 1911. Scott's party arrived a month after
Amundsen's exhausted from man hauling sledges, and perished on the return journey.

During WW1 Amundsen made a lot of money in shipping. He also built the Maud
to continue his Arctic drift. He had little success and left the ship in
1921. His next interest was flying. He was facing financial ruin when he met
Lincoln Ellsworth a wealthy young American explorer. With Ellsworth's backing
they flew with Umberto Noblie over the North Pole in an dirigible. In 1928
while searching for survivors of an airship accident in the Antarctic, Amundsen's plane crashed
and he vanished.