The south celestial pole is the point in the sky directly above Earth’s southern axis. On November 29, 1929, Byrd, as navigator, and three companions made the first flight over the South Pole, flying from Little America to the Pole and back in 19 hours with no mishap. The North Pole is the northernmost point on the Earth, lying diametrically opposite the South Pole.It defines geodetic latitude 90° North, as well as the direction of true north.At the North Pole all directions point south; all lines of longitude converge there, so its longitude can be defined as any degree value. Byrd was afterward promoted to rear admiral for this achievement. On May 9, 1926, the Josephine Ford left Spitsbergen, Norway, with Byrd as navigator and Floyd Bennet as pilot. (Photo Naval History and Heritage Command). See also the first flight over Antarctica. Photo courtesy of Bill Harrelson. In 1933, Byrd, now a rear admiral in the navy, led a second expedition to Antarctica. NZSP is the one airport closest to the South Pole, as in real close at -89.999997 lat and 0 lon. In 1928, Edsel Ford donated a Ford Tri-Motor airplane to Commander Richard E. Byrd, polar explorer and naval aviator, which would be used to attempt the first flight over the South Pole. On November 29, 2001, English musician and songwriter George Harrison dies at the age of 58. The causes of the Sand Creek massacre were rooted in the long conflict for control of the Great Plains of ...read more, On November 29, 1942, coffee joins the list of items rationed in the United States. Edsel Ford (left), Richard Byrd (center) and William Stout in front of Ford Tri-Motor airplane, 1935 (Photo Ford Motor Co.). Don't miss out upcoming events and happenings at Patriots Point. American explorer Richard E. Byrd became the first person to fly over the South Pole, in 1926, and the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station was established thirty years later. Your email address will not be published. Along tight latitude circles, counterclockwise is east and clockwise is west. READ MORE: The Treacherous Race to the South Pole, Explorer Richard Byrd flies over South Pole, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/byrd-flies-over-south-pole. Byrd's establishment of Little America and the spectacular first flight over the South Pole--part publicity stunt, part scientific milestone--marked the end of an era. Richard Evelyn Byrd learned how to fly in the U.S. Navy and served as a pilot in World War I. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. In 1955, he led his fifth and final expedition to Antarctica. The audacious journey would be the first ever flight from the European continent to the American continent over the Arctic ice cap. During the presidential campaign of 1952, Republican candidate Eisenhower was ...read more, On November 29, 1864, peaceful band of Southern Cheyenne and Arapahoe Native Americans are massacred by Colonel John Chivington’s Colorado volunteers at Sand Creek, Colorado. Flying from the North Pole to the South Pole in an airliner has been done only three times. With Byrd as navigator, Harold June as co-pilot and radio operator and McKinley as aerial photographer, the heavily loaded plane proceeded to … However, some doubt lingered about whether they had actually flown over the North Pole, and in 1996 a diary Byrd had kept on the flight was found that seemed to suggest that the Josephine Ford had turned back 150 miles short of its goal because of an oil leak. There’s a lot less airline traffic in the far reaches of the southern hemisphere than the northern hemisphere. 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