12th May 1926: Norge airship makes the first verified flight over the North Pole

The Norge expedition was led by polar explorer Roald Amundsen, alongside Italian aeronaut Umberto Nobile, and American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth. Ellsworth co-financed the expedition with the Aero Club of Norway. The Norge itself was a semi-rigid airship designed and built by Nobile, and was equipped with the latest technology for polar exploration.

In addition to the expedition leaders, 13 other crew members were part of the expedition. Some of these, such as Oscar Wisting, were prominent figures in polar exploration while others were experts in navigation, radio communication, meteorology, and engineering.

After making its last stop before reaching the pole, the Norge departed the small town of Ny-Ålesund in Svalbard on 11 May at 9:55am. The subsequent journey to the North Pole was fraught with challenges including dense fog, strong winds, and freezing temperatures.

After more than 16 hours of flight, at 1.25 am Greenwich time on 12 May, 1925, the Norge successfully reached the North Pole, making it the first confirmed expedition to do so. Here the crew dropped Italian, Norwegian, and American flags before continuing over the Arctic Ocean where ice from the Norge’s propellers began breaking off and tearing the outer fabric of the keel.

Amidst extreme winds the crew decided to land near the small settlement of Teller, Alaska, on May 14. The expedition had covered a distance of approximately 3,600 kilometers (2,200 miles) in just over 72 hours, and the crew members returned home as heroes.