Which Norwegian explorer led the first expedition to reach the South Pole?

Roald Amundsen led the first expedition to reach the South Pole.

Amundsen and four companions reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911. They traveled with dog teams and followed a route from the Bay of Whales across the Ross Ice Shelf and up the Beardmore Glacier. Their careful planning, clothing, skis, and use of dogs helped the expedition succeed.

The Norwegian team arrived about five weeks before the British expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott. Scott’s party reached the pole in January 1912 and died during the return journey. Amundsen’s expedition returned safely to its base.

Amundsen had originally planned an Arctic expedition, but news that Robert Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole led him to redirect his efforts southward. He kept that change secret from much of the public until the expedition was already underway, creating one of the great rivalries in polar exploration.