Admiral Byrd’s Dog Team Model: now on display at the Vermont History Museum

By the Vermont Historical Society

Admiral Richard E. Byrd was a decorated American naval officer and explorer who earned fame for his expeditions to both the North and South Poles. Born in 1888, he joined the Navy in 1908 and trained as an aviator during the First World War. On May 9th, 1926, he was part of a crew that was the first to reach the North Pole by airplane and became a national hero upon his return. In the years that followed, he made an early transatlantic flight and led a trio of expeditions to Antarctica in 1928, 1933, and 1939. After being recalled to service during the Second World War, he led two additional missions to Antarctica in 1946 and 1955. He died in 1957.

Vermonters were well aware of Byrd’s exploits through newspaper reports and films. Following his 1933 expedition, Byrd visited Vermont for a pair of speaking engagements. According to The Burlington Free Press, a 1935 stop in Burlington attracted 3,500 attendees during two lectures, in which he spoke about his exploits and showed off images. Byrd had become a national hero for his exploits, and at a time before the internet, television and modern popular culture, these types of talks and lectures served as a form of entertainment and education for the general public.

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