Jean Gross, age 14, of Hattesburg, Miss., for her question:
WHEN WAS THE CONQUEST OF THE NORTH POLE AND THE SOUTH POLE?
Everyone knew that the North Pole lay in the midst of the Arctic Ocean 400 miles from Cape Columbia, Canada. They knew that the Arctic was a frozen sea and that tides and currents kept the ice pack in motion, making surface travel hazardous.
During the brief Arctic summer, when the sun never sets, the surface of the ice pack melts. Great stretches of water open between the ice floes.
Many men braved their open waters in search of the Northwest Passage and a chance to be first to the North Pole. One of these was Sir John Franklin, who in 1847 perished with his 129 men. Hundreds of men searched for Franklin but they never found him. Their searches, however, added to our knowledge of the Arctic.
Between 1903 and 1906, the great Norwegian explorer Ronald Amundsen sailed through the Northwest Pa'ssage.
Finally men realized that the best time for polar exploration was not during the summer, but during the long, dark winter. Temperatures plunge and savage winds rage across the Arctic in winter. But the sea is frozen solid, providing a route to the pole for men and dog sleds.
The first men to reach the North Pole were Real Admiral (then Commander) Robert E. Peary of the United States Navy, Peary's aide Matthew A. Henson and four Eskimos. The historic date was April 6, 1909.
The South Pole lies in a high mountain rimmed plateau in the midst of the frozen Antarctic continent. In 1908, Sir Ernest Shackieton crossed the moutains and glaciers to within 100 miles of the pole.
Three years later, Roald Amundson and four companions set out for the pole with 52 dogs and four sleds. Their expedition was successful. They erected a small tent at the South Pole on December 14, 1911, and ran up a Norwegian flag.
A month after Amundsen's 1911 conquest of the South Pole, Captain Robert Falcon .Scott of the British navy, leading a rival expedition, found the tent and flag still standing. Scott and his four companions perished on their return trip. Scott's diary was later found. It told of the heartbreak and suffering of his tragic expedition.
The airplane brought a great revolution in exploration. It allowed man to cover great distances in a short period of time. One of the first explorers to take to the air was Amundsen. In 1925 he used the airplane to explore the Arctic.
The next year, after careful preparation, Commander Richard Byrd of the United States Navy flew over the North Pole. In 1929, Byrd flew over the South Pole.
Nearly 50 years after Peary's expedition reached the North Pole, the U.S. Navy achieved another Arctic conquest. On August 1, 1958, the atomic powered submarine Nautilus slipped under the polar icecap off Point Barrow, Alaska. Guided by inertial navigational devices, Commander William Anderson pointed the submarine toward the North Pole. At 11:15 p.m. on August 3, the Nautilus reached the North Pole, some 400 feet beneath the ice.