Roald Amundsen
1872–1928 · Norwegian · Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration
Known for: First to reach the South Pole, first to navigate the Northwest Passage, and first verified to reach the North Pole—the most successful polar explorer ever
Amundsen was the most methodical explorer in history. He studied Inuit survival techniques, used dog sleds instead of the doomed ponies and man-hauling that killed Scott's team, and planned every detail obsessively. He defeated Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole by five weeks—Scott and his men died on the return journey.
He later flew over the North Pole in the airship Norge and navigated the Northwest Passage for the first time. He died in 1928 while searching for the crashed airship of Umberto Nobile in the Arctic—dying in the environment he had conquered, trying to save a man he didn't even like.
Browse all 1,000 figures by category
Enable JavaScript to view the full "if they lived today" Q&A and personality profile.