Byrd flies over South Pole

American explorer Richard E. Byrd and three companions make the first ever flight over the South Pole. Byrd first won international attention in 1926, when he flew within 150 miles of the North Pole. In 1929, he led a large and well-equipped expedition to Antarctica, setting up a base camp called Little America on the face of the Ross Ice Shelf. From there, flights were made across the Antarctic continent. After his successful flight over the Pole, he led four more expeditions to the remote continent and mapped close to one million square miles with his flights.