Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd

Richard Evelyn Byrd was born and reared here and became an aviator and polar explorer. A 1912 U.S. Navy Academy graduate, he received the Medal of Honor for the first flight over the North Pole in 1926 and made the first commercial nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927. In 1928 he organized and led the first of five Antarctic expeditions, and flew over the South Pole in 1929. Byrd spent the winter of 1934 alone a hundred miles from his base at Little America, conducting scientific experiments. Of his several books, the best known is Alone. Byrd is regarded as the father of the Antarctic Peace Treaty, which bans the military use of Antarctica. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Winchester, Virginia · United States