TO KNOW THAT ROALD AMUNDSEN WAS AN EXPLORER
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TO KNOW THAT ROALD AMUNDSEN WAS AN EXPLORER. LESSON 5
Who was Roald Amundsen? Roald Amundsen was an explorer of the North and South Poles. He led the first expedition to reach the South Pole and was the first person to visit both the North and South Pole.
Where did Roald grow up? Roald was born in Borge, Norway on July 16, 1872. He grew up in Norway with his three brothers. His father, who was involved with the shipping industry, died when Roald was just 14 years old. Roald had dreamt of becoming an explorer, but his mother wanted him to become a doctor. He followed his mother's wishes until she died when he was 21 years old. Then he left school to pursue his dream of exploring.
South Pole Roald planned an expedition to reach the North Pole. However, when he heard that Robert Peary claimed to have already reached the North Pole, he made last minute plans and decided to pursue the South Pole. He kept this a secret until the last minute. He was in a race with British explorer Robert Scott to be the first to the South Pole. On January 14, 1911 Amundsen's ship, the Fram, arrived at the Bay Roald Amundsen's South Pole expedition of Whales in Antarctica. They set up camp there and prepared for the trip to the South Pole. Roald made sure that the dogs were well fed. One of the crew, a carpenter named Olav Bjaaland, redesigned the sleds they would use. He lowered the weight from 195 pounds to 50 pounds. This lower weight would be crucial in saving energy during the trip.
They set out to reach the South Pole ten months after arriving on Antarctica on October 20 th. There were five men, 52 dogs, and four sleds. After nearly two months of hard traveling, they reached their destination. On December 14, 1911 Roald and the Amundsen planted the Norwegian Flag at the South Pole. Amundsen Norwegian Flag at the South Pole All five of Amundsen's crew returned safely to base camp, but only 11 dogs made it back alive. The expedition took 99 days and they travelled over 1, 800 miles.
North Pole Amundsen still had the goal of reaching the North Pole. In 1926 he joined an expedition with Umberto Nobile aboard the airship Norge. They flew over the North Pole in May in what was is considered to be the first undisputed (many people dispute Robert Peary's claim) visit to the North Pole.
How did Roald Amundsen die? Roald Amundsen died in a plane crash during a rescue attempt on June 18, 1928. He was trying to save some of the crew of one of Nobile's airships that had crashed.
Fun Facts about Roald Amundsen • Amundsen, Nobile, and Lincoln Ellsworth all dropped their country's flags onto the North Pole as they flew over. • At one point he was attacked and nearly killed by a polar bear. • The airship he used to fly to the North Pole in was almost 350 feet long and filled with hydrogen gas. • He named the mountain range he crossed on his way to the South Pole the Queen Maud Mountains, after the queen of Norway. • When he reached the South Pole, he stayed there for three days to rest and get ready for the trip back. • Roald Dahl, who wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, was named after Amundsen.
