The 1911 expedition to the South Pole

Amundsen was originally preparing for an expedition to the North Pole, but when both Frederick A. Cook and Robert E. Peary claimed to have reached it, in 1908 and 1909, respectively, Amundsen secretly changed his plans and the expedition turned south to Antarctica, becoming a race with Scott to be first at the South Pole. Amundsen reached the South Pole 14 December 1911, five weeks before Scott, who perished on the return journey. All photographs are from the National Library of Norway.