Claim profile

Roald Amundsen

Norwegian explorer; first person to reach the South Pole (1872–1928)

  • Fame85.5
  • Momentum15.1
  • Global rank#203
Source-basedRising
  • Fame85.5
  • Momentum15.1
  • Global rank#203
  • Norway rank#1
  • Historical Figures rank#9
  • Wikipedia51.9K
Lived 1872–1928, aged 56Norway
Norway flagNorwayHistorical Figures
  • Wikipedia
    165 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Global rank
    #203
    Fame.am leaderboard
  • Era
    1872–1928
    Aged 56
  • Known for
    Benito Mussolini: Anat…
    1962
Summary
Updated 2026-08-13

He beat Scott to the South Pole, navigated the Northwest Passage, flew over the North Pole, and vanished in the Arctic trying to save someone else's crew. Amundsen turned polar exploration into a string of firsts — then disappeared into the ice himself.

Biography

About

Born in Borge, Østfold in 1872, Amundsen cut his teeth as first mate on a Belgian Antarctic expedition in 1897–1899. Between 1903 and 1906 he led the first successful traverse of the Northwest Passage aboard the sloop Gjøa. He began planning a South Pole run in 1909, sailed from Norway in June 1910 on the Fram, and reached Antarctica by January 1911. His five-man party planted the flag at the South Pole on 14 December 1911. A 1918 attempt to reach the North Pole by ship failed, so he went airborne: on 12 May 1926, he and fifteen others flew the airship Norge over the top, the first verified re…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen
said
Is this really a Polar ship?" people asked; ... our paper-supply which was in all respects as fine and elegant as it could be: ...
— Sydpolen (The South Pole) (1912)
Roald Amundsen
said
Everything is on a reduced scale here in the Polar regions; we can't afford to be extravagant.
— Concerning the Polar accommodations
Roald Amundsen
said
Personally, I regard alcohol, used in moderation, as a medicine in the Polar regions. ... It is another matter on sledge journeys: there ... alcohol must be banished ...
— Sydpolen (The South Pole) (1912)
Roald Amundsen
said
... the brilliant aurora australis. ... flush of daylight has moved to the north, ...
— Explaining why the Antarctic winter is not all dark
Roald Amundsen
said
Oh, as usual," they shouted back; "no bottom." I mention this little incident just to show how one can grow accustomed to anything in this world.
— Upon finding yet another obscured and deadly abyss
via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA
Deep cuts

Era & geography

No era information yet.
Deep cuts

Legacy

No legacy summary indexed yet.
Where to find them

Platforms

By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Rising
85.5
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum15.1
Historical25.9
Now attention47.7
Source confidence65.0
Completeness75.0
Global rank
#203
Country rank
#1
Category rank
#9
Receipts

Sources

  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence