Richard Evelyn Byrd (1888-1957), American aviator, explorer, and scientist, was the first man to fly over both poles and for his daring feats became one of America's genuine folk heroes.

Richard E. Byrd was born in Winchester, Va., on Oct. 25, 1888, into a distinguished Tidewater family. His early education included study at the Shenandoah Valley Military Academy and a trip around the world alone at the age of 13. He attended Virginia Military Institute, the University of Virginia, and the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1912. At the academy Byrd established himself as a class leader and athlete, although leg injuries suffered in football threatened his military career.

After briefly retiring from active duty, Byrd returned to the service when the United States entered World War I. He requested assignment to the Navy's aviation division. In 1918 Byrd developed a plan to fly the Navy's trimotored NC-1 flying boat across the...