Roald Amundsen

1872 – 1928 · died at about 56^[1][2]

Exploration

Fun Facts About Roald Amundsen

• Roald Amundsen reached both poles: his party was first to the South Pole in 1911, and in 1926 he was aboard the airship Norge, the first explorers verified to reach the North Pole.^[1]
• Amundsen did not tell even his own crew they were heading for the South Pole until they reached Madeira. Then he telegraphed rival Robert Falcon Scott: "Beg to inform you Fram proceeding Antarctic".^[1]
• Amundsen's mother wanted him to be a doctor. He kept that promise until she died when he was 21, then promptly quit university for a life at sea.^[1]
• Amundsen learned Arctic survival from the Netsilik Inuit and later wore Inuit-style furred skins in Antarctica instead of the heavy wool used by earlier expeditions.^[1]
• During his Maud expedition in the Arctic, Amundsen broke an arm and was attacked by a polar bear.^[1]
• Amundsen vanished in 1928 while flying to rescue the crew of Umberto Nobile's crashed airship Italia. His body was never found.^[1]
• Roald Amundsen was alive at the same time as Gabriel García Márquez — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1927–1928).^[1][2][3][4]
• Roald Amundsen and Maxim Gorky died on the same day of the year, June 18.^[1][2][5][6]

Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.^[1]

Contemporaries

John D. Rockefeller

56 yr overlap

Thomas Edison

56 yr overlap

Sigmund Freud

56 yr overlap

Nikola Tesla

56 yr overlap

Emmeline Pankhurst

56 yr overlap

Arthur Conan Doyle

56 yr overlap

Rabindranath Tagore

56 yr overlap

Henry Ford

56 yr overlap

Edvard Munch

56 yr overlap

H.G. Wells

56 yr overlap

Marie Curie

56 yr overlap

Mahatma Gandhi

56 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Roald Amundsen

When was Roald Amundsen born?

Roald Amundsen was born on July 16, 1872, and died on June 18, 1928.

How old was Roald Amundsen at death?

Roald Amundsen was born on July 16, 1872, and died on June 18, 1928, at age 55.

What was Roald Amundsen known for?

Roald Amundsen was known for: First to reach the South Pole. Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Who was alive at the same time as Roald Amundsen?

Roald Amundsen's closest contemporary was John D. Rockefeller. Their lives overlapped for 56 years.