John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd Shaking Hands before the Byrd Arctic Expedition, 1926

THF701876 / John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd Shaking Hands before the Byrd Arctic Expedition, 1926
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Artifact Overview

When Richard E. Byrd proposed a flight over the North Pole in 1926, he turned to Edsel Ford for financial support. Not only did Ford provide considerable funding himself, he encouraged John D. Rockefeller, Jr., to contribute as well. Byrd is generally credited with reaching the pole on May 9, 1926, though controversy remains.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Photographic print

Subject Date

1926

Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Object ID

84.1.1629.261

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Gelatin silver process

Color

Black-and-white (Colors)

Dimensions

Height: 8 in (photo alone)
Height: 11 in (including press release)
Width: 5.875 in

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    Richard Byrd’s North Pole Flight

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    On May 9, 1926, explorer Richard Byrd and pilot Floyd Bennett took off from Norway on a round-trip flight to the North Pole in their Fokker Tri-Motor airplane Josephine Ford. Though Byrd is generally credited with reaching the pole, controversy remains over whether he could have made the 1,350-mile journey in the 16 hours he and Bennett spent aloft. Whatever doubts remain today, Byrd was celebrated as a leading polar explorer of his time.