Roald Amundsen in Ny-Ålesund on his Dornier plane

Roald Amundsen in Ny-Ålesund on his Dornier plane, Norway. 1925.

Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (July 16, 1872 – c. June 18, 1928) was a Norwegian explorer renowned for leading the first expedition to reach the South Pole. Born in Borge, Norway, into a family of shipowners, Amundsen developed a passion for exploration early on, inspired by tales of Arctic adventurers. He studied medicine briefly but abandoned it to pursue a career in exploration. Amundsen’s first major achievement came in 1903–1906, when he led the first expedition to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage aboard the ship Gjøa. This feat established him as a skilled polar navigator. In 1910, he set his sights on the North Pole but, learning it had been claimed, pivoted to target the South Pole. On December 14, 1911, Amundsen and his team reached the South Pole, beating British explorer Robert Falcon Scott by about a month. His success was due to meticulous planning, the use of sled dogs, and expertise in polar travel. Later, Amundsen explored the Arctic, leading expeditions to traverse the Northeast Passage (1918–1920) and attempting to reach the North Pole by airship in 1926, successfully crossing it with Umberto Nobile aboard the Norge. A pioneer in polar aviation, he disappeared in June 1928 during a rescue mission in the Arctic, likely crashing in the Barents Sea. Amundsen’s legacy endures as one of history’s greatest polar explorers, known for his courage, strategic brilliance, and relentless pursuit of discovery.