On November 29, 1929, U.S. Navy officer and explorer Richard E. Byrd claimed to have become the first person to fly over the South Pole. He and his crew took off from a base on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in a Ford Trimotor airplane. The mission was part of Byrd’s first Antarctic expedition, funded by private and government support. The flight helped map previously unknown areas and demonstrated the usefulness of aircraft for polar exploration. While some technical aspects of his navigation have been debated, the expedition boosted American prestige in polar research. It also encouraged further scientific and exploratory work in Antarctica.
