Alone

At the beginning of this century only the Poles remained unexplored. They were magnets for great adventuring and scientific spirits, men like Richard Byrd. By 1934 Byrd was already famous. He had commanded the first Arctic transpolar flight and led several expeditions to Antarctica. His next project was to set up a weather station close to the South Pole and, with a staff of three, remain there through the six-month winter. In the event, Byrd elected a solo mission. The story of the half year he spent in frozen and black isolation is a remarkable testament to his courage, his resilience and tenacity.