Roald Amundsen, 1903 (photo)

Roald Amundsen. Norwegian polar explorer. 1872-1928. In 1903, Amundsen led the first expedition that made it through the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific with the boat Gjøa Joining the expedition were, among others, Helmer Hanssen and Oscar Wisting, both of whom would later join the expedition to the South Pole and other expeditions that Amundsen organized. The expedition traveled via Baffin Bay, Lancaster Strait, Peel Strait, James Ross Strait and Raes Sound, spending two winters in the ice. They were thus able to explore land and ice areas from the place that is today known as Gjoa Haven, Nunavut in Canada.