Admiral Richard Evelyn ByrdAdmiral Richard Evelyn Byrd

By BreanaBy Breana

Life of Richard Evelyn ByrdLife of Richard Evelyn Byrd

• Richard Byrd was born on 25th October 1888 in Winchester, Virginia, United States of America. Richard Byrd died 11th March 1957 at his home in Boston, U.S.A. After graduating from the U.S.A Naval Academy in 1912, he served of various battleships until he retired due to a leg injury 15th March 1916.

Wartime ExperiencesWartime Experiences

• During World War 1 he commanded U.S. Air Forces until the end of the war. In World War 2 he served overseas four times and was highly decorated including the Congressional Medal of Honour in 1926 and special Medals in 1930, 37 and 46.

First AdventureFirst Adventure

• On 9th May, 1926 Byrd as navigator, and Floyd Bennett as pilot flew the first airplane trip over the North Pole. It took 15 ½ hours and they flew from the Kings Bay, Norway, to the North Pole and back again. There is a dispute over whether they reached the North Pole.

Four Antarctic Land ExpeditionsFour Antarctic Land Expeditions

• 1928 to 1930 expeditions, the base was called Little America and was built on the Ross Ice Shelf, the near by Marie Byrd Land was named after his wife and on November 1929 Byrd and three other Explorers made a 19 hour flight over the South Pole.

• 1933 to 1935 Byrd mapped, land claimed and scientfically explored the South Pole region. Byrd spent five months isolated at a weather station hut called Bolling advance base and was rescued after suffering poisoning. Richard suffered from ill effects of the poisoning for the rest of his life. He discovered the Edsel Ford Mountains.

• 1939 to 1941 during the U.S.A. government expedition, called the US Antarctic services expedition, Byrd discovered Thurston Island, five new mountain ranges, five Islands and more than 100,000 square miles of area.

• 1946 to 1947 during the U.S.A. government expedition, called Operation Highjump, ship- based and land- based aircraft mapped 1,390,000 square kilometres along the Antarctic Coast.

• 1956 commanded the U.S. Expedition in Antarctic exploration.

• Byrd wrote about his adventures in three books called Skyward in 1928, Little America in 1930 and Alone in 1938.

Bibliography Bibliography

• htt://www.naysite.de/dd/ddg23.htm

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