Recently there has been a lot of news about preparing for next year being the 100th anniversary of Scott's expedition reaching the South Pole, but I think today deserves more attention in terms of Antarctic history. Today is the 100th anniversary of Roald Amundsen and four others (Olav Bjaaland, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel, Oscar Wisting) being the first humans to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911.
While Amundsen is criticized for just racing to the pole and not doing surveying or taking more than 2 photographs, he still did lead a much better planned expedition that allowed his men to safely reach the pole as well as return. One of the reasons for his success is his use of sled dogs instead of how Scott attempted to use horses, which did not work out and ended up forcing him and his men to pull their supplies.
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