Born on July 16
Roald Amundsen's Birthday
First to the South Pole.
Next: July 16, 2027
Where it comes from
Roald Amundsen was born in Borge, near Oslo, on 16 July 1872, and this Story marks his birthday. He studied medicine for a while, then went to sea, and in 1897 sailed on the Belgica, the first expedition to spend a winter in the Antarctic.
How it's celebrated
There is no formal observance. In Oslo the Fram Museum keeps two of his ships: the Gjøa, and the polar ship Fram that carried him south, which visitors can board and explore below deck. His own account, The South Pole, came out in 1912.
Did you know
When he sailed from Norway in June 1910, no one but his brother knew he was heading for the South Pole rather than the North.
Read the full story of Roald Amundsen's Birthday
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