With Byrd at the South Pole

7/18/2025

If you’ve ever seen “South” (1919) or “Endurance” (2000) about the Shackleton expedition to the South Pole in 1914, then you will have an idea as to what we are in for with this similar, though vastly technologically superior, trip to Antarctica. Ten years had passed since those earlier journeys and by now the boats were steam powered, electricity was available and they had a trio of aeroplanes on hand to assist with the surveying. That’s not so say that conditions were any more welcoming for American Admiral Richard Byrd as he assembled a team of enthusiasts to sail to the opposite end of the world before setting up camp amidst the seals and the penguins. Despite having a few more mod-cons, this was still a serious struggle for the group who endured over one hundred days of the winter dar