1 00:00:17,140 --> 00:00:24,461 Speaker 1: Pushkin. Hey everyone, it is Jared Martinez. Before we get 2 00:00:24,500 --> 00:00:26,701 Speaker 1: into this episode, I wanted to let you know that 3 00:00:26,741 --> 00:00:29,341 Speaker 1: you can listen to the entire season of Medal of 4 00:00:29,381 --> 00:00:33,581 Speaker 1: Honor right now ad free with Pushkin Plus. Get all 5 00:00:33,620 --> 00:00:36,941 Speaker 1: our incredible stories of courage with a Pushkin Plus subscription. 6 00:00:37,501 --> 00:00:39,701 Speaker 1: Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show 7 00:00:39,741 --> 00:00:43,981 Speaker 1: page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin dot fm slash Plus. 8 00:00:44,461 --> 00:00:48,341 Speaker 1: Use the code twenty five for twenty five percent off 9 00:00:48,381 --> 00:00:56,741 Speaker 1: an annual subscription. Okay, now to the episode. Two men 10 00:00:56,781 --> 00:01:00,140 Speaker 1: were jammed into the tiny cockpit of an airplane. They 11 00:01:00,141 --> 00:01:03,621 Speaker 1: wore leather flying helmets and goggles and parkas made of 12 00:01:03,661 --> 00:01:08,140 Speaker 1: reindeer hides. Their faces peeked out from giant fur hoods. 13 00:01:08,861 --> 00:01:11,741 Speaker 1: It was below freezing outside, and they were about to 14 00:01:11,781 --> 00:01:17,140 Speaker 1: get much much colder. It was half past midnight on 15 00:01:17,220 --> 00:01:21,340 Speaker 1: May ninth, nineteen twenty six, and neither of them had 16 00:01:21,381 --> 00:01:25,901 Speaker 1: slept for thirty six hours. A pale moon was visible 17 00:01:25,901 --> 00:01:28,340 Speaker 1: on one side of the horizon, but the sun was 18 00:01:28,340 --> 00:01:33,060 Speaker 1: shining too, and never set, not this time of the year, 19 00:01:33,581 --> 00:01:37,660 Speaker 1: not this far north. Because these two aviators and their 20 00:01:37,741 --> 00:01:43,181 Speaker 1: small three engine propeller plane were in Norway, roughly six 21 00:01:43,340 --> 00:01:46,541 Speaker 1: hundred miles from the top of the world, the North Pole, 22 00:01:47,541 --> 00:01:51,101 Speaker 1: and they were determined to fly over it. They would 23 00:01:51,101 --> 00:01:55,181 Speaker 1: make their way across the frozen Polar Sea to what exactly. 24 00:01:55,501 --> 00:01:59,621 Speaker 1: They weren't sure because nobody had flown over the North 25 00:01:59,661 --> 00:02:03,701 Speaker 1: Pole before. The two men hunched over the dials in 26 00:02:03,741 --> 00:02:07,221 Speaker 1: the cockpit. The plane had been roped down because the 27 00:02:07,301 --> 00:02:10,781 Speaker 1: runway was icy and short. They were going to let 28 00:02:10,781 --> 00:02:13,581 Speaker 1: the engines rev up to full power and then the 29 00:02:13,581 --> 00:02:17,381 Speaker 1: plane would be cut loose. One of the pilots opened 30 00:02:17,381 --> 00:02:21,381 Speaker 1: the throttles. The airplane strained forward. As the engines wore, 31 00:02:22,181 --> 00:02:27,061 Speaker 1: everything shook. The noise was deafening. The pilots couldn't hear 32 00:02:27,101 --> 00:02:29,541 Speaker 1: each other over it, but they didn't need to talk. 33 00:02:30,261 --> 00:02:33,741 Speaker 1: They were both thinking the same thing. They had to 34 00:02:33,781 --> 00:02:37,221 Speaker 1: get off the ground. They had to go. It was 35 00:02:37,341 --> 00:02:42,061 Speaker 1: do or die. The engine propeller spun so fast that 36 00:02:42,101 --> 00:02:44,541 Speaker 1: they were just a blurt and at the side of 37 00:02:44,581 --> 00:02:47,621 Speaker 1: the runway, one of their friends raised an axe and 38 00:02:47,661 --> 00:02:49,501 Speaker 1: cut the rope that was keeping the plane on the 39 00:02:49,541 --> 00:02:56,941 Speaker 1: ground and they were off. I'm Jr. Martinez, and this 40 00:02:57,181 --> 00:03:00,781 Speaker 1: is Medal of Honor, Stories of Courage, The Medal of 41 00:03:00,821 --> 00:03:04,061 Speaker 1: Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. 42 00:03:04,381 --> 00:03:07,301 Speaker 1: It's a warded for gallantry and bravery and combat at 43 00:03:07,301 --> 00:03:10,781 Speaker 1: the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty. 44 00:03:11,101 --> 00:03:13,661 Speaker 1: Each candidate must be approved all the way up the 45 00:03:13,741 --> 00:03:16,861 Speaker 1: chain of command, from the supervisory officer in the field 46 00:03:17,181 --> 00:03:20,221 Speaker 1: to the White House. This show is about those heroes, 47 00:03:20,701 --> 00:03:23,861 Speaker 1: what they did, what it meant, and what their stories 48 00:03:23,861 --> 00:03:28,101 Speaker 1: tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice. This 49 00:03:28,141 --> 00:03:31,541 Speaker 1: episode is about Richard evel and Byrd, and it's pretty 50 00:03:31,541 --> 00:03:33,821 Speaker 1: different from what we usually talk about in this series 51 00:03:34,541 --> 00:03:36,701 Speaker 1: because he didn't receive his Medal of Honor for something 52 00:03:36,741 --> 00:03:39,381 Speaker 1: he did on the battlefield or even during a war. 53 00:03:40,301 --> 00:03:45,461 Speaker 1: It's a story without a single bullet. Instead, this episode 54 00:03:45,541 --> 00:03:49,301 Speaker 1: is about exploration. It takes place during a time when 55 00:03:49,341 --> 00:03:54,221 Speaker 1: America was obsessed with discovering and claiming the farthest reaches 56 00:03:54,261 --> 00:03:59,541 Speaker 1: of our planet, and exploration takes bravery, facing the unknown, 57 00:04:00,301 --> 00:04:04,701 Speaker 1: knowing you're risking death, but still stepping forward, which is 58 00:04:04,821 --> 00:04:18,181 Speaker 1: exactly what Richard Byrd did. Dick Bird started exploring the 59 00:04:18,181 --> 00:04:21,261 Speaker 1: world when he was just a kid. You might be like, oh, sure, 60 00:04:21,541 --> 00:04:24,781 Speaker 1: all kids explore, but I'm not talking about that kind 61 00:04:24,820 --> 00:04:29,661 Speaker 1: of exploration. In nineteen oh two, when he was just thirteen, 62 00:04:30,181 --> 00:04:33,021 Speaker 1: Dick left his home in Virginia and made his way 63 00:04:33,061 --> 00:04:38,021 Speaker 1: across the United States by himself. Danny got on a 64 00:04:38,021 --> 00:04:41,581 Speaker 1: boat to Japan and then another went to the Philippines, 65 00:04:42,181 --> 00:04:46,501 Speaker 1: traveling alone for weeks. Would I let my thirteen year 66 00:04:46,501 --> 00:04:49,261 Speaker 1: old travel around the world by herself. She can't even 67 00:04:49,261 --> 00:04:51,541 Speaker 1: make it down the block and she has a phone, 68 00:04:52,221 --> 00:04:55,981 Speaker 1: So yeah, the answer is no. But Dick's parents were different. 69 00:04:56,021 --> 00:04:59,221 Speaker 1: I guess they came from a long line of explorers. 70 00:05:01,421 --> 00:05:04,501 Speaker 1: His dad's ancestors had left England and arrived in Virginia 71 00:05:04,821 --> 00:05:10,021 Speaker 1: in sixteen seventy. His moms arrived in sixteen oh nine. 72 00:05:10,261 --> 00:05:14,181 Speaker 1: Plus Dick was determined. He wore them down. That's the 73 00:05:14,261 --> 00:05:17,421 Speaker 1: kind of person he was, even back then. He didn't 74 00:05:17,461 --> 00:05:21,301 Speaker 1: come home for a year. By the age of fourteen, 75 00:05:21,821 --> 00:05:26,101 Speaker 1: he made a solo trip around the world. You might 76 00:05:26,141 --> 00:05:28,661 Speaker 1: want to rewind about thirty seconds and hear this whole 77 00:05:28,701 --> 00:05:33,421 Speaker 1: section over again because it's ridiculous. Keep in mind this 78 00:05:33,541 --> 00:05:36,701 Speaker 1: was a time when exploration was booming. There were still 79 00:05:36,781 --> 00:05:40,741 Speaker 1: parts of the world that were totally undiscovered, well at 80 00:05:40,821 --> 00:05:44,181 Speaker 1: least by white people. So in Europe and America. There 81 00:05:44,221 --> 00:05:47,501 Speaker 1: was a race to get there first, and Dick couldn't 82 00:05:47,501 --> 00:05:52,221 Speaker 1: wait to join those teams of explorers. He graduated from 83 00:05:52,221 --> 00:05:55,301 Speaker 1: the Naval Academy. He had grown into a handsome guy 84 00:05:55,461 --> 00:05:59,581 Speaker 1: with wavy, dark hair and blue eyes. He was modest, kind. 85 00:06:00,181 --> 00:06:03,461 Speaker 1: People loved him, but his career in the Navy wasn't 86 00:06:03,621 --> 00:06:07,461 Speaker 1: going well. Back in his school days, he'd been captain 87 00:06:07,501 --> 00:06:11,541 Speaker 1: of the gymnastics team. One classmate described him as a 88 00:06:11,701 --> 00:06:16,061 Speaker 1: carefree elf with the grace of a cat. But he 89 00:06:16,141 --> 00:06:18,621 Speaker 1: fractured his ankle doing a trick on the rings and 90 00:06:18,701 --> 00:06:22,221 Speaker 1: it never fully healed well. In the Navy, this was 91 00:06:22,261 --> 00:06:25,181 Speaker 1: a major liability. He would never be on the front 92 00:06:25,181 --> 00:06:29,141 Speaker 1: lines of combat, so Dick changed things up, because having 93 00:06:29,181 --> 00:06:31,861 Speaker 1: a bad foot didn't really matter if you were sitting 94 00:06:31,901 --> 00:06:35,501 Speaker 1: in a plane. He became an expert in night flying 95 00:06:35,581 --> 00:06:39,181 Speaker 1: and navigation. During World War One, he helped with the 96 00:06:39,181 --> 00:06:42,581 Speaker 1: first fleet of military aircraft, and after the war he 97 00:06:42,661 --> 00:06:47,221 Speaker 1: developed tools for transatlantic flight. In the Navy, Dick was 98 00:06:47,261 --> 00:06:50,581 Speaker 1: famous for his navigational skills, and he was excited to 99 00:06:50,621 --> 00:06:54,581 Speaker 1: put them to use. At the time, people weren't just 100 00:06:54,661 --> 00:07:00,581 Speaker 1: flying planes. There were also flying dirigibles aka blimps. In 101 00:07:00,661 --> 00:07:03,261 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty one, Dick was supposed to be on one 102 00:07:03,301 --> 00:07:06,421 Speaker 1: of the first dirigible flights across the Atlantic, but he 103 00:07:06,501 --> 00:07:11,461 Speaker 1: missed his train and lost his spot. That blimp apart 104 00:07:11,541 --> 00:07:16,501 Speaker 1: in mid air, killing almost everyone on board. Dick helped 105 00:07:16,501 --> 00:07:19,301 Speaker 1: to find the bodies. There was a near miss that 106 00:07:19,421 --> 00:07:23,661 Speaker 1: haunted him, but it didn't slow him down because soon 107 00:07:24,141 --> 00:07:27,981 Speaker 1: he was headed for the North Pole. People have been 108 00:07:28,021 --> 00:07:30,301 Speaker 1: trying to reach the top of the world for decades 109 00:07:30,341 --> 00:07:33,781 Speaker 1: by then, by dogs, sled and even hot air balloon. 110 00:07:34,421 --> 00:07:36,701 Speaker 1: They weren't sure if there was land up there, but 111 00:07:36,781 --> 00:07:40,861 Speaker 1: if there was, every country wanted to claim it. Here's 112 00:07:40,901 --> 00:07:43,981 Speaker 1: Dick talking about why he wanted to go years later. 113 00:07:45,141 --> 00:07:49,221 Speaker 2: As long as it remains anything unknown on the face 114 00:07:49,301 --> 00:07:52,541 Speaker 2: of this earth we live on, man is going to 115 00:07:52,621 --> 00:07:55,741 Speaker 2: go after it, to try to find out what it is, 116 00:07:56,261 --> 00:07:59,341 Speaker 2: to attempt to conquer it, and to learn how to 117 00:07:59,381 --> 00:07:59,781 Speaker 2: live in it. 118 00:08:01,301 --> 00:08:02,981 Speaker 1: And the way to get to the North Pole was 119 00:08:03,021 --> 00:08:07,341 Speaker 1: by air. But flying was insanely dangerous. No one had 120 00:08:07,381 --> 00:08:11,581 Speaker 1: ever flown in high latitudes without serious problems. Let's not 121 00:08:11,661 --> 00:08:15,701 Speaker 1: forget planes were only invented back in nineteen o three. 122 00:08:16,301 --> 00:08:20,301 Speaker 1: That's a little over twenty years, but that didn't stop Dick, 123 00:08:20,461 --> 00:08:24,781 Speaker 1: of course not. In nineteen twenty five, he joined an 124 00:08:24,821 --> 00:08:27,741 Speaker 1: expedition with some other explorers to fly over the North Pole. 125 00:08:28,461 --> 00:08:32,420 Speaker 1: That attempt failed, but it had one giant upside. It 126 00:08:32,461 --> 00:08:36,180 Speaker 1: introduced Dick to a guy named Floyd Bennett. Bennett was 127 00:08:36,221 --> 00:08:38,780 Speaker 1: two years younger than Dick and looked like an old 128 00:08:38,780 --> 00:08:43,181 Speaker 1: fashioned movie star with blonde hair parted on the side. 129 00:08:43,420 --> 00:08:45,901 Speaker 1: He had grown up in terrible poverty, but he was 130 00:08:45,940 --> 00:08:48,941 Speaker 1: a mechanical genius and one of the best pilots in 131 00:08:48,981 --> 00:08:52,261 Speaker 1: the air. On that nineteen twenty five trip, Dick and 132 00:08:52,261 --> 00:08:55,261 Speaker 1: Bennett had been flying partners when one of their oil 133 00:08:55,341 --> 00:09:00,381 Speaker 1: tanks broke. Bennett actually climbed onto a wing mid flight 134 00:09:00,981 --> 00:09:05,141 Speaker 1: and fixed it, saving them from falling to an icy death. 135 00:09:06,180 --> 00:09:08,741 Speaker 1: So as soon as Dick got home, he started planning 136 00:09:08,780 --> 00:09:11,261 Speaker 1: to go back to the Pole, and he knew he 137 00:09:11,261 --> 00:09:14,621 Speaker 1: would bring Bennett with him. He had to act fast 138 00:09:15,021 --> 00:09:17,261 Speaker 1: because there were other groups on their way there too. 139 00:09:18,021 --> 00:09:22,341 Speaker 1: Expeditions were being planned from Paris to Detroit. It was 140 00:09:22,381 --> 00:09:24,700 Speaker 1: a crazy race to the top of the world, and 141 00:09:24,820 --> 00:09:28,381 Speaker 1: Dick wanted to cross the finish line first, but he 142 00:09:28,420 --> 00:09:31,901 Speaker 1: had one big rival in Norwegian by the name of 143 00:09:32,021 --> 00:09:36,141 Speaker 1: Roald Amundsen. In nineteen eleven, he had been the first 144 00:09:36,221 --> 00:09:39,261 Speaker 1: man to reach the South Pole by dog sled, and 145 00:09:39,381 --> 00:09:43,461 Speaker 1: now he was gunning for the North Alminsen had already 146 00:09:43,460 --> 00:09:45,941 Speaker 1: tried to get there once by plane. He made it 147 00:09:45,940 --> 00:09:48,540 Speaker 1: within one hundred and thirty six miles, and then he 148 00:09:48,580 --> 00:09:51,780 Speaker 1: had to land and got stuck. He spent a month 149 00:09:51,820 --> 00:09:55,340 Speaker 1: on the ice and he barely survived. So this time 150 00:09:55,540 --> 00:09:58,901 Speaker 1: he wasn't going to go by plane. Instead, he bought 151 00:09:58,901 --> 00:10:04,141 Speaker 1: a dirigible from the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. So maybe 152 00:10:04,180 --> 00:10:07,381 Speaker 1: not a great partner, but Mussolini was excited about the 153 00:10:07,420 --> 00:10:10,540 Speaker 1: North Pole too, so he sold him the blimp at 154 00:10:10,540 --> 00:10:14,341 Speaker 1: a disc count and guess what he got it blessed 155 00:10:14,621 --> 00:10:20,021 Speaker 1: by the Pope. Dick didn't want to go by blip. Instead, 156 00:10:20,420 --> 00:10:23,221 Speaker 1: he found a fixed wing three engine plane for a 157 00:10:23,261 --> 00:10:27,420 Speaker 1: good price. He figured that three engines were safer than one. 158 00:10:27,940 --> 00:10:30,340 Speaker 1: If one went out, the plane could get pretty far 159 00:10:30,460 --> 00:10:33,580 Speaker 1: on just two. As he put it, quote, the multi 160 00:10:33,660 --> 00:10:38,221 Speaker 1: motored plane is the answer, the stages said. Confidence is 161 00:10:38,300 --> 00:10:44,300 Speaker 1: all that is needed. Well, confidence and money. Explorers had 162 00:10:44,300 --> 00:10:47,021 Speaker 1: to raise cash for everything. A boat to get up 163 00:10:47,060 --> 00:10:50,861 Speaker 1: north supplies to feed the crew, and on and on. 164 00:10:52,060 --> 00:10:54,821 Speaker 1: So Dick went to Edsel Ford, son of the famous 165 00:10:54,901 --> 00:10:58,940 Speaker 1: Henry Ford. Ford gave him twenty thousand dollars, which is 166 00:10:58,981 --> 00:11:02,701 Speaker 1: worth around three hundred and seventy thousand dollars today. Dick 167 00:11:02,780 --> 00:11:06,940 Speaker 1: named his plane the Josephine after Ford's three year old daughter. 168 00:11:07,621 --> 00:11:11,141 Speaker 1: Smart move. So now that Dick and Almonson both had 169 00:11:11,141 --> 00:11:14,861 Speaker 1: their airships, the sprint to the Pole was on and 170 00:11:14,901 --> 00:11:17,381 Speaker 1: the press covered every minute of it. 171 00:11:18,420 --> 00:11:21,141 Speaker 3: And Navy Commander Richard Eveln Byrd is about to join 172 00:11:21,221 --> 00:11:24,860 Speaker 3: pilot Voyd Bennett on an historic journey. They had the 173 00:11:25,021 --> 00:11:27,780 Speaker 3: first flight over top of the world. Might have take 174 00:11:27,861 --> 00:11:32,460 Speaker 3: off icy wastes of Arctic destination North Pole and return. 175 00:11:34,700 --> 00:11:38,540 Speaker 1: On April fifth, Dick's boat left New York Harbor. It 176 00:11:38,621 --> 00:11:42,460 Speaker 1: carried his plane supplies the last six months and fifty 177 00:11:42,580 --> 00:11:46,820 Speaker 1: North Pole obsessed volunteers, including Bennett. Oh and can't forget 178 00:11:47,180 --> 00:11:52,581 Speaker 1: a little white terrier named Igloo their destination with Spitzbergen, Norway. 179 00:11:53,141 --> 00:11:54,861 Speaker 1: It was close enough to the Pole that they could 180 00:11:54,861 --> 00:11:58,060 Speaker 1: fly to Josephine there without having to refuel, and it 181 00:11:58,141 --> 00:12:02,141 Speaker 1: had a harbor where Dick's boat could dock. Thousands of 182 00:12:02,141 --> 00:12:05,860 Speaker 1: people were screaming and waving as Dick st sell, cheering 183 00:12:05,861 --> 00:12:10,100 Speaker 1: for him and Bennett and Igloo too. They were major celebrities, 184 00:12:10,300 --> 00:12:14,981 Speaker 1: and hey, America wanted to win this race. Dick wrote 185 00:12:14,981 --> 00:12:17,821 Speaker 1: in his diary, quote, I think of the expedition not 186 00:12:17,901 --> 00:12:22,420 Speaker 1: as mine, but as ours, the boys with me and America's. 187 00:12:23,221 --> 00:12:25,780 Speaker 1: This day has proved that there is a lot of 188 00:12:25,901 --> 00:12:30,461 Speaker 1: romance in spirit of adventure in this great country. But 189 00:12:30,540 --> 00:12:33,340 Speaker 1: he also noted that quote, the hardest part of an 190 00:12:33,341 --> 00:12:37,581 Speaker 1: expedition is the worry one causes those nearest and dearest, 191 00:12:39,261 --> 00:12:42,141 Speaker 1: and Dick had people at home that were worried. His 192 00:12:42,261 --> 00:12:46,420 Speaker 1: three little kids and his wife, Marie, Maria Dick had 193 00:12:46,460 --> 00:12:51,021 Speaker 1: met when there were children. Dick absolutely adored her. He 194 00:12:51,060 --> 00:12:52,780 Speaker 1: wrote a letter to his six year old son to 195 00:12:52,820 --> 00:12:56,421 Speaker 1: be read if he didn't make it back. It said, quote, 196 00:12:56,861 --> 00:12:59,221 Speaker 1: my last words to you, my boy, are to beg 197 00:12:59,261 --> 00:13:03,021 Speaker 1: you to understand, cherish, and protect your mother, and to 198 00:13:03,141 --> 00:13:05,981 Speaker 1: model yourself as much as you can after her, for 199 00:13:06,101 --> 00:13:09,820 Speaker 1: she is the finest person in the world. Dick was 200 00:13:09,940 --> 00:13:14,021 Speaker 1: risking his life, but that didn't stop him exploring. Was 201 00:13:14,060 --> 00:13:15,060 Speaker 1: in his bones. 202 00:13:16,420 --> 00:13:19,861 Speaker 4: You find the mountain range, say twenty thousand feet high 203 00:13:20,940 --> 00:13:23,540 Speaker 4: thousand miles long. Well that's quite a kick, you know, 204 00:13:24,221 --> 00:13:28,221 Speaker 4: and you do find such things every time you explore. 205 00:13:31,060 --> 00:13:34,860 Speaker 1: On April twenty ninth, Dick's team arrived in Spitzberg and Norway. 206 00:13:35,540 --> 00:13:38,141 Speaker 1: His boat slowly made its way through the frozen bay, 207 00:13:38,700 --> 00:13:42,060 Speaker 1: pass ice floes bobbing in the water towards the dock 208 00:13:42,141 --> 00:13:45,021 Speaker 1: that they had been counting on. But then they got 209 00:13:45,021 --> 00:13:48,420 Speaker 1: the news their ship would not be allowed to land. 210 00:13:49,381 --> 00:14:08,421 Speaker 1: Rold Aminsen was already there. Richard Bird had spent years 211 00:14:08,501 --> 00:14:12,740 Speaker 1: dreaming of reaching the North Pole, raising money and supplies, 212 00:14:13,341 --> 00:14:17,461 Speaker 1: weeks sailing north, and then he was told by the 213 00:14:17,501 --> 00:14:22,861 Speaker 1: local officials, Yeah, you're just gonna have to wait. But 214 00:14:22,941 --> 00:14:26,181 Speaker 1: here's the thing. He was starting his trip in Norway, 215 00:14:26,621 --> 00:14:31,901 Speaker 1: and who was his rival? Rolled Almondson and Norwegian. As 216 00:14:31,941 --> 00:14:35,261 Speaker 1: one guy on Alminson's team wrote quote, we resent this 217 00:14:35,341 --> 00:14:38,181 Speaker 1: foreign ship coming here to our own country to snatch 218 00:14:38,221 --> 00:14:41,941 Speaker 1: the prize, which we feel belongs to Captain Amundson alone. 219 00:14:43,261 --> 00:14:46,541 Speaker 1: The man who wrote that was named Burnt Balkan. We're 220 00:14:46,541 --> 00:14:50,421 Speaker 1: gonna hear a lot more from him. Okay, so fine. 221 00:14:50,741 --> 00:14:53,821 Speaker 1: Maybe Dick shouldn't have been surprised by the icy welcome 222 00:14:54,781 --> 00:14:58,941 Speaker 1: Almondson was super anxious, still waiting for his dirigible to 223 00:14:59,101 --> 00:15:02,501 Speaker 1: arrive from Italy. It was called the norj and it 224 00:15:02,541 --> 00:15:06,381 Speaker 1: was delayed, so the Norwegians wanted to slow Dick down 225 00:15:06,381 --> 00:15:09,860 Speaker 1: to now just so you know the rules for this race, 226 00:15:10,421 --> 00:15:14,661 Speaker 1: all the explorers were supposed to be gentlemen, no tricky stuff. 227 00:15:15,421 --> 00:15:18,901 Speaker 1: Almonson and Dick had elegant lunches together on their ships, 228 00:15:19,221 --> 00:15:21,661 Speaker 1: but that didn't mean the Norwegians weren't trying to give 229 00:15:21,701 --> 00:15:26,061 Speaker 1: their guy the edge. It made Dick crazy, as he wrote, 230 00:15:26,141 --> 00:15:30,581 Speaker 1: quote great sportsmanship. In spite of anything the Norwegians do. 231 00:15:31,181 --> 00:15:34,340 Speaker 1: I intend to be a good sport and be dignified 232 00:15:34,501 --> 00:15:37,941 Speaker 1: and calm. They have made it very difficult for us, 233 00:15:39,101 --> 00:15:41,581 Speaker 1: So Dick and his team decided to work around them. 234 00:15:42,261 --> 00:15:45,500 Speaker 1: Dick's men hoisted two lifeboats over the side of the boat. 235 00:15:45,701 --> 00:15:48,181 Speaker 1: They lowered them into the water and tied them together 236 00:15:48,301 --> 00:15:50,981 Speaker 1: side by side. They did the same thing with two 237 00:15:51,021 --> 00:15:54,021 Speaker 1: warm boats. Then long planks of wood were put on 238 00:15:54,061 --> 00:15:56,941 Speaker 1: top of them. The crew worked deep into the night 239 00:15:57,261 --> 00:16:01,941 Speaker 1: hammering everything together. Almondson and his team were watching from 240 00:16:01,941 --> 00:16:05,580 Speaker 1: across the bay and they were like the hell And 241 00:16:05,621 --> 00:16:09,621 Speaker 1: then they saw Dick's crew had built a giant raft. 242 00:16:10,901 --> 00:16:13,741 Speaker 1: The men lowered the Josephine onto the raft and paddled 243 00:16:13,741 --> 00:16:16,221 Speaker 1: it to shore, and it looked like Dick had a 244 00:16:16,261 --> 00:16:19,021 Speaker 1: head start on the race, but then he hit a snack. 245 00:16:20,141 --> 00:16:22,741 Speaker 1: They needed to do some test flights, but the ground 246 00:16:22,941 --> 00:16:27,541 Speaker 1: was totally frozen, so the plane had to land on skis, 247 00:16:28,460 --> 00:16:31,821 Speaker 1: and the ski that they brought were too small. On 248 00:16:31,901 --> 00:16:35,860 Speaker 1: their first test flight, they broke, sending the plane straight 249 00:16:35,981 --> 00:16:41,381 Speaker 1: into a snowbank. Dick's crew was working overtime in sub 250 00:16:41,460 --> 00:16:48,301 Speaker 1: zero conditions, getting frostbite, but trying to figure it out fast. Meantime, 251 00:16:48,701 --> 00:16:53,021 Speaker 1: the Norge was getting closer to Spitzbergen, slowly but surely 252 00:16:53,061 --> 00:16:57,341 Speaker 1: heading for the starting block. But remember Burnt Balkan from 253 00:16:57,381 --> 00:17:02,141 Speaker 1: Allminson's team. He decided to help the Americans. He made 254 00:17:02,221 --> 00:17:05,221 Speaker 1: new skis for the Josephine and gave the crew tips 255 00:17:05,301 --> 00:17:08,461 Speaker 1: about how to build a runway on the ice. As 256 00:17:08,461 --> 00:17:12,100 Speaker 1: you can imagine, Allminsen was pissed. Dick wrote in his 257 00:17:12,141 --> 00:17:16,501 Speaker 1: diary quote Almondson gave Balkan, who is a peach, orders 258 00:17:16,581 --> 00:17:21,461 Speaker 1: to not come near us again. Finally, the Josephine had 259 00:17:21,461 --> 00:17:25,901 Speaker 1: a successful test flight and then on May seventh, the 260 00:17:26,021 --> 00:17:30,701 Speaker 1: Norridge arrived. It just needed some small repairs. It felt 261 00:17:30,741 --> 00:17:33,781 Speaker 1: like the starting gun had been fired. The race was 262 00:17:33,941 --> 00:17:38,261 Speaker 1: really on. The very next day, Dick's team loaded up 263 00:17:38,261 --> 00:17:41,941 Speaker 1: the Josephine. No more test flights, they would head to 264 00:17:42,021 --> 00:17:47,181 Speaker 1: the pole. Packing the plane was tricky. Dick and Bennett 265 00:17:47,221 --> 00:17:49,501 Speaker 1: needed enough supplies to be able to survive on the 266 00:17:49,541 --> 00:17:52,981 Speaker 1: ice if they crashed, but every pound that they packed 267 00:17:53,381 --> 00:17:57,021 Speaker 1: would also slow them down. They had dug a runway 268 00:17:57,021 --> 00:17:59,301 Speaker 1: out of the snow, then sprayed it with water so 269 00:17:59,341 --> 00:18:02,341 Speaker 1: it would turn into a slick of ice and guarantee 270 00:18:02,381 --> 00:18:06,021 Speaker 1: a fast start. Dick and Bennett were totally geared up, 271 00:18:06,581 --> 00:18:09,941 Speaker 1: parkas and pants made of animal skin and sheep skin, 272 00:18:10,101 --> 00:18:13,501 Speaker 1: boots and leather gloves. It was frigid cold on the ground, 273 00:18:13,581 --> 00:18:15,821 Speaker 1: but it was going to be even colder in the air. 274 00:18:16,541 --> 00:18:23,061 Speaker 1: The Josephine wasn't pressurized or climate controlled. The engines went on, 275 00:18:23,661 --> 00:18:27,941 Speaker 1: the propellers were spinning, and the Josephine shot forward, but 276 00:18:28,061 --> 00:18:31,781 Speaker 1: it didn't get off the runway. The plane was too heavy. 277 00:18:32,501 --> 00:18:37,621 Speaker 1: You gotta imagine the Norwegians were psyched about that. Dick 278 00:18:37,661 --> 00:18:40,741 Speaker 1: and Bennett got out and the crew raced to reposition 279 00:18:40,821 --> 00:18:46,021 Speaker 1: the plane. They unloaded everything they didn't really need. By 280 00:18:46,061 --> 00:18:48,181 Speaker 1: the time they were done, it was late at night. 281 00:18:48,621 --> 00:18:52,701 Speaker 1: Dick and Bennett were exhausted. And here's another thing. The 282 00:18:52,781 --> 00:18:56,181 Speaker 1: flight was going to take at least fifteen hours and 283 00:18:56,221 --> 00:18:58,661 Speaker 1: they wouldn't be able to sleep in the air. So 284 00:18:58,701 --> 00:19:02,541 Speaker 1: they headed back to the boat for some rest. But 285 00:19:02,661 --> 00:19:06,261 Speaker 1: then the two men looked at each other. The conditions 286 00:19:06,261 --> 00:19:11,261 Speaker 1: were perfect for takeoff. They couldn't risk waiting. Had to 287 00:19:11,301 --> 00:19:17,860 Speaker 1: try now, exhausted or not, so in the first minutes 288 00:19:17,901 --> 00:19:21,221 Speaker 1: after midnight on May night, the two aviators walked back 289 00:19:21,301 --> 00:19:25,261 Speaker 1: to the Josephine, their boots crunching in the snow. They 290 00:19:25,341 --> 00:19:29,741 Speaker 1: checked their instruments. Bennett opened the throttles. The cockpit shook 291 00:19:29,861 --> 00:19:33,661 Speaker 1: like crazy, the engines roared, and then the rope that 292 00:19:33,741 --> 00:19:37,021 Speaker 1: bound them to Earth was cut and the plane bolted 293 00:19:37,061 --> 00:19:44,981 Speaker 1: down the icy runway the Josephine. Ford lifted off. As 294 00:19:44,981 --> 00:19:48,461 Speaker 1: soon as they felt the airplane rise, Bennett smiled at Dick. 295 00:19:49,261 --> 00:19:51,901 Speaker 1: They couldn't actually talk because they couldn't hear each other 296 00:19:51,941 --> 00:19:55,860 Speaker 1: over the engines, so they communicated through hand signals and notes. 297 00:19:57,141 --> 00:19:59,340 Speaker 1: Bennett was flying so that Dick could focus on what 298 00:19:59,421 --> 00:20:04,541 Speaker 1: he was famous for navigating because this was decades before GPS, 299 00:20:04,781 --> 00:20:07,221 Speaker 1: and they were at the North Pole, so their compasses 300 00:20:07,261 --> 00:20:10,861 Speaker 1: didn't work. There was nothing but endless water and ice 301 00:20:11,101 --> 00:20:15,781 Speaker 1: for miles, no landmarks, which meant they couldn't guide by sight, 302 00:20:16,581 --> 00:20:19,621 Speaker 1: so the navigator had to operate several instruments in order 303 00:20:19,661 --> 00:20:23,461 Speaker 1: to verify their position. One was a sextont, which was 304 00:20:23,541 --> 00:20:26,380 Speaker 1: used to measure the angle between the horizon and the 305 00:20:26,421 --> 00:20:29,781 Speaker 1: sun or the moon. Then there was an instrument to 306 00:20:29,861 --> 00:20:33,381 Speaker 1: measure wind drift. To use it, Dick had to poke 307 00:20:33,461 --> 00:20:37,580 Speaker 1: his head out of the plane and get frostbitten. I 308 00:20:37,741 --> 00:20:41,741 Speaker 1: know this all sounds insanely low tech, but at the 309 00:20:41,821 --> 00:20:44,821 Speaker 1: time it was all cutting edge and it had been 310 00:20:44,941 --> 00:20:48,461 Speaker 1: proven to work as long as the navigator was good enough, 311 00:20:49,061 --> 00:20:52,701 Speaker 1: and Dick was one of the best. Dick kept notes 312 00:20:52,701 --> 00:20:56,541 Speaker 1: in his journal, writing in pencil, fixing his calculations, and 313 00:20:56,541 --> 00:20:59,741 Speaker 1: writing instructions to Bennett. When they were about seven and 314 00:20:59,741 --> 00:21:02,461 Speaker 1: a half hours into the trip and about an hour 315 00:21:02,541 --> 00:21:05,821 Speaker 1: away from the pole, Dick saw something that made his 316 00:21:05,941 --> 00:21:10,901 Speaker 1: stomach drop. Oil was spraying from the tank of wine 317 00:21:10,901 --> 00:21:14,181 Speaker 1: one of the motors. He sent Bennett back to look 318 00:21:14,781 --> 00:21:17,581 Speaker 1: in his notebook, he wrote, is it a bad leak? 319 00:21:18,341 --> 00:21:21,701 Speaker 1: Bennett replied, it is a bad leak, and we may 320 00:21:21,821 --> 00:21:25,661 Speaker 1: lose the motor at any time. So they had to 321 00:21:25,661 --> 00:21:29,141 Speaker 1: make a decision continue on to the poll and risk 322 00:21:29,261 --> 00:21:33,861 Speaker 1: losing an engine, or head back to safety. For the 323 00:21:33,901 --> 00:21:37,421 Speaker 1: two men, it wasn't a choice. They were Navy flyers. 324 00:21:37,941 --> 00:21:41,981 Speaker 1: This was their mission. They had faced death together once 325 00:21:42,061 --> 00:22:04,261 Speaker 1: before and survived, so they kept going. Dick Bird and 326 00:22:04,341 --> 00:22:07,621 Speaker 1: Floyd Bennett were flying towards the North Pole, praying that 327 00:22:07,701 --> 00:22:12,181 Speaker 1: their third engine would hold. Below them, the frozen sea 328 00:22:12,341 --> 00:22:16,781 Speaker 1: seemed to stretch into infinity. As Dick later said, quote, 329 00:22:17,021 --> 00:22:20,541 Speaker 1: we felt no larger than a pinpoint, and as lonely 330 00:22:20,581 --> 00:22:23,861 Speaker 1: as the tune, as remote and detached as a star. 331 00:22:25,581 --> 00:22:29,181 Speaker 1: Dick checked and rechecked his instruments, and, as he later wrote, 332 00:22:29,261 --> 00:22:33,021 Speaker 1: quote at nine o two am granted civil time. Our 333 00:22:33,101 --> 00:22:36,901 Speaker 1: calculation showed us to be at the pole. The dream 334 00:22:37,101 --> 00:22:42,021 Speaker 1: of a lifetime had had last been realized. The two 335 00:22:42,141 --> 00:22:45,261 Speaker 1: men filmed what they saw, and what did they see, 336 00:22:45,461 --> 00:22:49,541 Speaker 1: well kind of nothing, just water and snow and chunks 337 00:22:49,541 --> 00:22:54,100 Speaker 1: of frozen ice. Nothing to even plant a flagon. So 338 00:22:54,261 --> 00:22:58,981 Speaker 1: instead they circled the pole once and then again, covering 339 00:22:59,021 --> 00:23:03,621 Speaker 1: their bases in case they were slightly off. They quickly 340 00:23:03,661 --> 00:23:06,621 Speaker 1: headed back. I mean, who knew how long that busted 341 00:23:06,661 --> 00:23:11,541 Speaker 1: engine would hold. During the return flight, the ex fell 342 00:23:11,661 --> 00:23:15,101 Speaker 1: and broke. This meant Dick had to navigate purely by 343 00:23:15,101 --> 00:23:20,101 Speaker 1: what they call dead reckoning, calculating distance and speed and time. 344 00:23:21,061 --> 00:23:24,021 Speaker 1: Dick got them all the way to Spitzbergen using only that. 345 00:23:25,021 --> 00:23:29,621 Speaker 1: After a total flight time of nearly sixteen hours, the 346 00:23:29,741 --> 00:23:33,380 Speaker 1: Josephine Ford returned. The rest of the crew had been 347 00:23:33,421 --> 00:23:38,061 Speaker 1: waiting half thrilled, half terrified, but as soon as they 348 00:23:38,101 --> 00:23:40,741 Speaker 1: saw the plane on the horizon, they were throwing their 349 00:23:40,781 --> 00:23:44,861 Speaker 1: hats in the air. Racing to the Josephine, they hoisted 350 00:23:44,901 --> 00:23:46,941 Speaker 1: Dick and Bennett on their shoulders. 351 00:23:47,501 --> 00:23:50,701 Speaker 3: Second half of flight as successful as Bird and Bennett 352 00:23:50,741 --> 00:23:52,381 Speaker 3: get warm welcome back to base. 353 00:23:54,901 --> 00:23:57,781 Speaker 1: Even Almondsen was excited. I mean, you got to give 354 00:23:57,821 --> 00:24:00,981 Speaker 1: him credit in the end. He was a good sport, 355 00:24:02,061 --> 00:24:04,661 Speaker 1: even though his dirigible was still not in the air. 356 00:24:05,101 --> 00:24:08,580 Speaker 1: He came running to congratulate Dick, and of course Balkan 357 00:24:08,621 --> 00:24:13,501 Speaker 1: did too. Dick's expedition had conquered the North Pole. They 358 00:24:13,541 --> 00:24:18,781 Speaker 1: were first. Almondson eventually got there He left Spitzbergen on 359 00:24:18,821 --> 00:24:22,301 Speaker 1: May eleventh and reached the pole on the twelfth. There 360 00:24:22,301 --> 00:24:27,101 Speaker 1: were sixteen men in the norg. Burnt Balkin was not included. 361 00:24:28,781 --> 00:24:31,381 Speaker 1: When Dick's team got back to the States, they had 362 00:24:31,421 --> 00:24:34,901 Speaker 1: a hero's welcome with a ticker tape parade through Manhattan. 363 00:24:35,701 --> 00:24:38,221 Speaker 4: Millions of New Yorkers turned out in a thrilling tribute 364 00:24:38,261 --> 00:24:41,580 Speaker 4: to the daring explorer whose achievements had won the admiration 365 00:24:41,741 --> 00:24:43,461 Speaker 4: and a claim of the entire world. 366 00:24:45,261 --> 00:24:47,861 Speaker 1: Dick submitted the records of his flight to the US Navy, 367 00:24:48,381 --> 00:24:51,301 Speaker 1: and they were scrutinized by a panel of experts at 368 00:24:51,341 --> 00:24:56,421 Speaker 1: the National Geographic Society. This group confirmed his calculations. The 369 00:24:56,461 --> 00:24:59,061 Speaker 1: fact that he was able to return without a sextant 370 00:24:59,141 --> 00:25:03,181 Speaker 1: proved quote that he was equally successful in his flight northward. 371 00:25:03,741 --> 00:25:06,301 Speaker 1: The feet of flying a plane six hundred miles from 372 00:25:06,381 --> 00:25:10,261 Speaker 1: land and returning directly to the point aimed for shows 373 00:25:10,301 --> 00:25:13,301 Speaker 1: beyond a re reasonable doubt that he knew where he 374 00:25:13,461 --> 00:25:18,581 Speaker 1: was at all times during the flight. Both Dick and 375 00:25:18,581 --> 00:25:21,341 Speaker 1: Bennett received promotions from the Navy, and at a White 376 00:25:21,341 --> 00:25:25,301 Speaker 1: House ceremony on February twenty fifth, both men received the 377 00:25:25,341 --> 00:25:30,181 Speaker 1: Medal of honor Igloo the Dog. He became a celebrity too, 378 00:25:30,901 --> 00:25:33,901 Speaker 1: and he even had a book written about him. But 379 00:25:34,021 --> 00:25:39,061 Speaker 1: almost immediately there were doubts. The Italian press was stunned, 380 00:25:39,541 --> 00:25:41,981 Speaker 1: how could their blimp not have made it there first 381 00:25:42,261 --> 00:25:46,381 Speaker 1: it had been blessed by the Pope, and more skepticism followed, 382 00:25:46,741 --> 00:25:49,301 Speaker 1: but Dick seemed convinced he had made it. He had 383 00:25:49,301 --> 00:25:52,021 Speaker 1: given Almundson a chart of his North Pole readings so 384 00:25:52,061 --> 00:25:54,341 Speaker 1: that he could use it on the Norge. It would 385 00:25:54,341 --> 00:25:56,021 Speaker 1: have been a crazy thing to do if he didn't 386 00:25:56,021 --> 00:26:00,100 Speaker 1: believe they were correct. Anyway, Dick didn't pay much attention 387 00:26:00,141 --> 00:26:03,781 Speaker 1: to the controversy. He was too busy planning his next adventure. 388 00:26:05,741 --> 00:26:09,661 Speaker 1: He flew across the Atlantic after Charles Limberg, but still 389 00:26:09,701 --> 00:26:12,461 Speaker 1: early days, and then he was the first man to 390 00:26:12,501 --> 00:26:16,380 Speaker 1: fly across the South Pole in nineteen twenty nine, proving 391 00:26:16,461 --> 00:26:20,381 Speaker 1: his navigational skills again. Who was by his side for 392 00:26:20,461 --> 00:26:24,221 Speaker 1: both of those flights not Floyd Bennett. Sadly, he had 393 00:26:24,261 --> 00:26:27,741 Speaker 1: been injured in a crash and later caught pneumonia. He 394 00:26:27,781 --> 00:26:31,141 Speaker 1: died in nineteen twenty eight at the age of thirty seven. 395 00:26:32,141 --> 00:26:36,141 Speaker 1: Alminsen was gone that year too. He disappeared while flying 396 00:26:36,181 --> 00:26:41,141 Speaker 1: in the Arctic. His body was never found. The person 397 00:26:41,141 --> 00:26:45,341 Speaker 1: who came with Dick, was you ready for this? Burnt Balkan. 398 00:26:46,021 --> 00:26:49,501 Speaker 1: He'd been shunned by his fellow Norwegians for helping Dick 399 00:26:49,541 --> 00:26:52,981 Speaker 1: at the North Pole, but Dick still thought Balkan was 400 00:26:53,501 --> 00:26:58,301 Speaker 1: a peach. Dick went back to the South Pole five 401 00:26:58,381 --> 00:27:02,941 Speaker 1: times during his life, in freezing and deadly conditions. It 402 00:27:02,941 --> 00:27:06,381 Speaker 1: took so long to get down there. Their early expeditions 403 00:27:06,541 --> 00:27:10,541 Speaker 1: each lasted over a year. Special guest on the first 404 00:27:10,541 --> 00:27:15,340 Speaker 1: one Igloo, Dick yearned for Marie and the kids, but 405 00:27:15,461 --> 00:27:19,461 Speaker 1: his explorations were in a way for them. He believed 406 00:27:19,461 --> 00:27:21,261 Speaker 1: there were untapped riches down there. 407 00:27:22,021 --> 00:27:26,021 Speaker 4: It's an untouched reservoir of natural resources, which this country 408 00:27:26,261 --> 00:27:30,781 Speaker 4: in the world will need desperately, because we are recklessly 409 00:27:30,861 --> 00:27:34,580 Speaker 4: expending a natural resources and there won't be many years 410 00:27:34,581 --> 00:27:37,261 Speaker 4: before we will be ironpede in desperate need of that 411 00:27:37,661 --> 00:27:40,981 Speaker 4: those minerals that are there. And I'm looking into the future, 412 00:27:41,341 --> 00:27:44,541 Speaker 4: thinking of those of children and children. 413 00:27:45,781 --> 00:27:48,901 Speaker 1: As the years went by, the North Pole stopped feeling 414 00:27:48,981 --> 00:27:50,301 Speaker 1: quite so far away. 415 00:27:51,181 --> 00:27:53,101 Speaker 3: The North Pole used to be a no man's land, 416 00:27:53,141 --> 00:27:56,261 Speaker 3: But these are the days when by buying a ticket 417 00:27:56,301 --> 00:27:58,341 Speaker 3: on a commercial airline you can fly across the North 418 00:27:58,341 --> 00:28:00,221 Speaker 3: Pole and drink a cocktail at the same time. 419 00:28:03,581 --> 00:28:06,541 Speaker 1: The Pole became a key to transatlantic flight, and as 420 00:28:06,581 --> 00:28:10,141 Speaker 1: World War Two inch closer, Dick watched as it became 421 00:28:10,341 --> 00:28:11,741 Speaker 1: even more significant. 422 00:28:12,741 --> 00:28:15,861 Speaker 2: Little did I think when we flew to the North 423 00:28:15,981 --> 00:28:23,221 Speaker 2: Pole in nineteen twenty six, This area, the Contiguoussylums Waters, 424 00:28:23,421 --> 00:28:25,821 Speaker 2: Do I have a flight to the Pole would become 425 00:28:25,901 --> 00:28:29,181 Speaker 2: one of the most important strategic areas on the face 426 00:28:29,181 --> 00:28:34,181 Speaker 2: of the earth. But if we, god forbid, do have 427 00:28:34,261 --> 00:28:37,461 Speaker 2: a war, much of it will be fought across the 428 00:28:37,461 --> 00:28:40,101 Speaker 2: top of the world, across the Pole. 429 00:28:41,181 --> 00:28:44,741 Speaker 1: His prediction was right. During World War Two, the North 430 00:28:44,781 --> 00:28:48,981 Speaker 1: Pole was super important for weather forecasting and armed shipments 431 00:28:48,981 --> 00:28:51,741 Speaker 1: and a bunch of other things. Dick was a special 432 00:28:51,741 --> 00:28:54,581 Speaker 1: advisor to the Chief of Naval Operations during the war. 433 00:28:55,181 --> 00:28:58,901 Speaker 1: He was present when the Japanese surrendered in nineteen forty five, 434 00:28:59,701 --> 00:29:02,341 Speaker 1: and he was way ahead of his time. He raised 435 00:29:02,341 --> 00:29:04,701 Speaker 1: the alarm about what was happening at the top of 436 00:29:04,741 --> 00:29:05,261 Speaker 1: the world. 437 00:29:05,981 --> 00:29:09,781 Speaker 2: It's becoming warmer up there. I believe myself, the whole 438 00:29:09,821 --> 00:29:10,821 Speaker 2: world is becoming one. 439 00:29:13,021 --> 00:29:16,261 Speaker 1: Dick died in nineteen fifty seven of a heart ailment. 440 00:29:17,021 --> 00:29:21,261 Speaker 1: He was sixty eight years old. But shortly after his death, 441 00:29:21,541 --> 00:29:26,021 Speaker 1: his Norwegian friend, the peach Burnt Balkan started telling a 442 00:29:26,181 --> 00:29:31,421 Speaker 1: different story about that North Pole flight. He claimed that 443 00:29:31,501 --> 00:29:35,221 Speaker 1: before his death, Floyd Bennett said they never made it 444 00:29:35,261 --> 00:29:38,861 Speaker 1: to the pole once the oil league began, they just 445 00:29:38,941 --> 00:29:42,981 Speaker 1: circled around out of view until enough time had passed 446 00:29:43,141 --> 00:29:47,221 Speaker 1: that they could claim they'd gone. Now, Bennett wasn't alive 447 00:29:47,301 --> 00:29:51,221 Speaker 1: to corroborate this. Of course, it was Balkan's word against 448 00:29:51,341 --> 00:29:55,621 Speaker 1: a ghost, but the damage was done then. In the 449 00:29:55,661 --> 00:30:00,021 Speaker 1: nineteen eighties, Ohio State University received Dick's personal diary from 450 00:30:00,061 --> 00:30:03,861 Speaker 1: the North Pole flight. It was disorganized and out of sequence, 451 00:30:04,181 --> 00:30:06,981 Speaker 1: with personal thoughts and notes that Bennett and Dick had 452 00:30:06,981 --> 00:30:10,861 Speaker 1: written to each other. There were also Dick's navigational calculations. 453 00:30:11,501 --> 00:30:14,541 Speaker 1: They were done in pencil and some had been erased 454 00:30:14,701 --> 00:30:18,941 Speaker 1: and rewritten. Had Dick fixed his numbers to make them 455 00:30:18,981 --> 00:30:21,581 Speaker 1: seem like he had gotten too the Pole? Did the 456 00:30:21,621 --> 00:30:24,741 Speaker 1: pressure to be the first get the better of him? 457 00:30:24,821 --> 00:30:27,901 Speaker 1: Some critics said yes, that there was no way the 458 00:30:27,941 --> 00:30:30,301 Speaker 1: plan could have gone fast enough to get him there, 459 00:30:30,541 --> 00:30:35,421 Speaker 1: and the eraser marks were proof. Others said no, they 460 00:30:35,461 --> 00:30:38,901 Speaker 1: were just evidence that Bird was updating his numbers, fixing 461 00:30:38,981 --> 00:30:42,981 Speaker 1: them in transit. Sure they were sloppy, but he was exhausted. 462 00:30:46,781 --> 00:30:49,021 Speaker 1: There is no way for us to know for certain 463 00:30:49,101 --> 00:30:51,141 Speaker 1: if Dick and Bennett made it over the North Pole 464 00:30:51,181 --> 00:30:55,101 Speaker 1: that day in nineteen twenty six. Here's the thing as 465 00:30:55,141 --> 00:30:57,301 Speaker 1: I see it. At the end of the day, what 466 00:30:57,421 --> 00:31:01,421 Speaker 1: matters is their bravery and their willingness to risk everything. 467 00:31:02,261 --> 00:31:05,061 Speaker 1: Like all of the guys we profile, Dick looked out 468 00:31:05,101 --> 00:31:09,181 Speaker 1: into the unknown, and he still moved forward. He was 469 00:31:09,221 --> 00:31:12,101 Speaker 1: an incredible explorer. Either he got to the North Pole 470 00:31:12,181 --> 00:31:15,301 Speaker 1: or not. He risked his life the moment he set 471 00:31:15,301 --> 00:31:17,861 Speaker 1: off in the Josephine, and then he did it again 472 00:31:18,501 --> 00:31:22,821 Speaker 1: and again for decades. Sure there was a pursuit of 473 00:31:22,861 --> 00:31:26,501 Speaker 1: glory of finding a spot in the history books. I 474 00:31:26,541 --> 00:31:32,101 Speaker 1: think that probably motivates every explorer. But there was also 475 00:31:32,141 --> 00:31:35,341 Speaker 1: the pursuit of knowledge to benefit the greater good. And 476 00:31:35,381 --> 00:31:39,101 Speaker 1: that's what Dick really cared about more than anything. He 477 00:31:39,221 --> 00:31:42,661 Speaker 1: wanted us all to be explorers, not in the frozen 478 00:31:42,701 --> 00:31:47,221 Speaker 1: tundra necessarily, but explores of what's going on in our world. 479 00:31:48,621 --> 00:31:51,101 Speaker 1: When he was asked later in life. What his advice 480 00:31:51,141 --> 00:31:51,981 Speaker 1: for people was. 481 00:31:52,621 --> 00:31:57,821 Speaker 4: He said this, they should keep themselves in palm, keep willing, calm. 482 00:31:58,941 --> 00:32:01,221 Speaker 4: Then you will have a chance to know what's going 483 00:32:01,421 --> 00:32:07,301 Speaker 4: on behind the scenes, and they ask questions and realize 484 00:32:07,341 --> 00:32:10,581 Speaker 4: that you cannot have liberty without paying a price. 485 00:32:10,661 --> 00:32:10,861 Speaker 3: Food. 486 00:32:12,381 --> 00:32:13,621 Speaker 4: Each person is important. 487 00:32:13,861 --> 00:32:16,741 Speaker 2: If all of them get together and study and. 488 00:32:16,821 --> 00:32:19,821 Speaker 4: Ask questions and know what's going on, they can vote intelligently. 489 00:32:20,461 --> 00:32:24,381 Speaker 4: Because in the elpheimate analysis, we are completely responsible for 490 00:32:24,501 --> 00:32:29,181 Speaker 4: what happened where the government's consent. If they make mistakes, 491 00:32:29,181 --> 00:32:32,741 Speaker 4: it's our fault. They're not taking enough interest and taking 492 00:32:33,581 --> 00:32:34,861 Speaker 4: the wonderful freedom we have. 493 00:32:35,061 --> 00:32:40,581 Speaker 1: Seriously, you know, Richard byrd knew that information is power 494 00:32:41,421 --> 00:32:45,421 Speaker 1: and democracy can't survive without it. He went to the 495 00:32:45,541 --> 00:32:49,501 Speaker 1: ends of the earth looking for knowledge. The least we 496 00:32:49,581 --> 00:33:20,781 Speaker 1: can do is read the news. Thank you all for 497 00:33:20,821 --> 00:33:24,261 Speaker 1: listening and supporting our show. Over the past year, we've 498 00:33:24,301 --> 00:33:27,461 Speaker 1: gotten emails from some of you sharing great stories of courage, 499 00:33:27,701 --> 00:33:30,141 Speaker 1: and we want to shout out Tom Shine for sharing 500 00:33:30,221 --> 00:33:33,581 Speaker 1: Emil Capon's story. He was an army chaplain in World 501 00:33:33,621 --> 00:33:36,621 Speaker 1: War Two and Korea and receive the Medal of Honor 502 00:33:36,901 --> 00:33:40,421 Speaker 1: nearly fifty years after he died in a North Korean 503 00:33:40,421 --> 00:33:44,581 Speaker 1: pow camp. Thank you so much for sharing Tom. If 504 00:33:44,581 --> 00:33:46,621 Speaker 1: you have stories or people you would like to highlight, 505 00:33:46,941 --> 00:33:51,341 Speaker 1: email us at Medal of Honor at Pushkin dot fm. 506 00:33:51,541 --> 00:33:54,941 Speaker 1: Your participation helps us make great episodes, so please follow 507 00:33:54,981 --> 00:33:58,061 Speaker 1: the show, share it with a friend, or leave a review. 508 00:33:58,701 --> 00:34:02,381 Speaker 1: These are all zero cost ways to support us. Find 509 00:34:02,421 --> 00:34:05,981 Speaker 1: us on social media at Pushkin pods or find me 510 00:34:06,461 --> 00:34:13,381 Speaker 1: at IMJR. Martinez Medal of Stories of Courage is written 511 00:34:13,421 --> 00:34:17,021 Speaker 1: by Meredith Rollins and produced by Meredith Rollins and Ryan Schwiker. 512 00:34:17,980 --> 00:34:22,221 Speaker 1: Our editor is Lydia gene Kott. Sound designed by Jay Gorsky. 513 00:34:22,661 --> 00:34:26,860 Speaker 1: Our executive producer is Constanza Gayadro. Fact checking by Arthur 514 00:34:26,901 --> 00:34:31,060 Speaker 1: Gomperts and original music by Eric Phillips. Special thanks to 515 00:34:31,100 --> 00:34:35,301 Speaker 1: Ohio State Universities, Bird, Polar and Climate Research Center for 516 00:34:35,421 --> 00:34:38,580 Speaker 1: letting us use their interviews of Bird. If you want 517 00:34:38,580 --> 00:34:40,620 Speaker 1: to learn more about this story, take a look at 518 00:34:40,620 --> 00:34:42,861 Speaker 1: our show notes, where we have some of the resources 519 00:34:42,861 --> 00:34:46,460 Speaker 1: we use to put this episode together. I'm your host, 520 00:34:47,020 --> 00:34:48,060 Speaker 1: j R. Martinez