1888-1957

American naval explorer and aviator who led five expeditions to Antarctica between 1929 and 1957. Several of these were privately funded; the remainder were official government enterprises. During his 1929 trip, he flew over the South Pole with three others, and he ultimately mapped extensive areas of the continent. All five of Byrd's Antarctic expeditions achieved vitally important geographic, climatic, and meteorological results. The inventor of vital devices used in his expeditions, including the aerial sextant and wind-drift instruments, Byrd also journeyed to the North Pole and with Floyd Bennett was the first to fly over the North Pole.