Byrd, Amundsen, and the Pursuit of the North Pole Flyover

In ‘This Week in History,’ two polar explorers faced off against each other to become the first to fly over the North Pole.

The Fokker F.VII of Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett in flight, which went from Spitsbergen (Svalbard) to the North Pole, returning to its take-off airfield. Public Domain

While Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. was enjoying his 10th birthday on Oct. 25, 1898, in Virginia, Roald Amundsen, a young Norwegian explorer was stuck aboard a Belgian ship in Antarctica. Separated by thousands of miles and experiencing two different worlds though on the same planet, destiny would eventually pit these two explorers against each other in a race for what would be one of Earth’s last unconquered regions. But that would not happen for nearly another 30 years.

On this October day in 1898, the 26-year-old Amundsen was hoping to survive aboard the ice-locked ship. The Belgica, a whaler retrofitted as an expedition ship, had been stranded in place since March, and it did not appear she would be released from the icy grip anytime soon. The young Norwegian had joined 18 other sailors, along with a cat, to explore the southern region of the globe. In January, Amundsen was given a clear view on the dangers of the Antarctic when one of the sailors was knocked overboard and lost to the frigid depths.