Richard ByrdDied 11 Mar 1957 at age 68 (born 25 Oct 1888). Richard Evelyn Byrd, Jr. was an American explorer, aviator and scientist who was the first man to fly over both of the Earth's poles. From age 13, he showed an adventurous spirit, by travelling alone around the world. He joined the Navy, and by WW I, in the naval avaiation division, he was commander of U.S. Navy aviation forces in Canada. To improve aerial navigation for occasions when no land or horizon would be visible, he developed a bubble sextant and a drift indicator. After the war, he made one of the early nonstop transatlantic flights. On 9 May 1926, to demonstrate the practicability of aerial polar exploration, he and a copilot circled the North Pole. During an Antarctic expedition, he organized scientific studies, surveying, and collection of meteorological and radiowave propagation data. On 28-29 Nov 1929, with three crew, he made a flight to the South Pole.« |
