Amundsen and the dogs at the South Pole
A,mundsen (centre) and his team back aboard the Fram
Scott's party reach the South Pole, only to discover the Norwegian camp
December 14th 1911: Amundsen team reach South Pole
On this day in 1911, a team led by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first people to reach the South Pole. Born in 1872, Amundsen got his first taste of adventure at the age of fifteen, when he embarked on a sea voyage. In 1899, he had his first encounter with the Antarctic, and a few years later became the first person to travel the Northwest Passage. He then planned a trip to the North Pole, but after that was reached by Robert Peary in 1909 he redirected his efforts to the South Pole. Amundsen’s expedition was kept secret, and he sought the pole less for the scientific achievement than as an effort to alleviate his mounting debt. Amundsen was not the only person headed for the pole, however, as in September 1909 British explorer Robert Scott had announced his own expedition. The Norwegian crew were locked in a race with the Scott team, each attempting to make history by being the first people to reach the planet’s South Pole. Scott’s team were using motorised sledges, whereas Amundsen’s were pulled by dogs and they used skis. Tensions were high in the Amundsen team, and the party split up in October, with Amundsen, Olav Olavson Bjaaland, Hilmer Hanssen, Sverre H. Hassel and Oscar Wisting headed for the pole. At 3pm on Friday, December 14th 1911, they arrived at the site of the South Pole. With frostbitten and aching hands, the five men placed the Norwegian flag in the ground. They celebrated with a meal and cigars in the camp, and departed soon after, but not before leaving a message for Scott in the tent. The British party arrived five weeks later, only to discover they had been beaten by the Norwegians. In a sad turn of events, the entire Scott party died on the return journey, and they have since become national heroes in Britain for their bravery and fortitude. Amundsen, unaware of this, was able to telegraph the news of his success to his brother in March, 1912, and his achievement was widely celebrated. Roald Amundsen later took up flying, and disappeared in 1928 after his plane went missing during a search for a lost aircraft.
“And so at last we reached our destination and planted our flag on the geographical South Pole, King Haakon VII’s plateau. Thank God!“
- Amundsen’s diary entry on December 14th 1911
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