RICHARD E. BYRD:
Aviation North and South

Richard E. Byrd (1888-1957)
American explorer, aviator

Shortly after midnight on May 9, 1926, Richard E. Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett lifted off a snow-packed runway on Spitsbergen Island and headed for the North Pole. Nine hours and eight hundred miles later they reported reaching their destination. Byrd was the first to fly over the North Pole. Though recent evidence casts doubt on his claim, the flight was a monumental effort that gave Byrd widespread fame.

Byrd made a similar flight over the South Pole three years later. This time uncontested and was awarded the Navy Cross. In all, he commanded five expeditions to the southern continent, more than any other Antarctic explorer. His achievements, charisma, rugged good looks and media savvy fashioned Richard Byrd into an American hero.