Byrd's Flight to the South Pole: Byrd's Legacy - Ohio State University Libraries

Byrd's Legacy

Richard E. Byrd, ca. 1930.
Richard E. Byrd Papers, #7639_10.

Document of promotion of Byrd
to Rear-Admiral by Congress, 1929,
Richard E. Byrd Papers, #4552.

Byrd’s achievements in this expedition were pivotal in moving exploration in Antarctica from the “Heroic Age” to the “Mechanical Age.” He proved that airplanes, radio communication and motorized transport could be used in Antarctica to advance exploration and science. Thousands of miles of unexplored lands were mapped, and never before seen images of the continent were filmed by stills and moving pictures and shared with the American public. Perhaps the most valuable achievement of the first Byrd Expedition to Antarctica was the excitement it generated. Byrd would make four more expeditions to Antarctica in his lifetime, and is considered a true American hero.

Memorandum by Richard E. Byrd,
December 11, 1929,
Richard E. Byrd Papers, #4552.
Byrd’s memo to the members of the expedition
concerning his possible promotion to Admiral
after the South Pole Flight, in which he stresses the
importance of all members of the expedition.

Commemorative medal,
“First to Fly over the South Pole,” 1930,
Byrd Miscellany, Accession #19967.
This medal was presented to all
members of the expedition.

The beauty of the Antarctic landscape, ca. 1929,
Richard E. Byrd Papers, #7791.
This image shows the south side of a
small glacier at 86 degrees south.

Emperor Penguins, ca. 1929,
Richard E. Byrd Papers, #7791.

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