Later History
After Scott's retreat from the pole in January 1912, the location remained unvisited for nearly 18 years. On 28 November 1929, US Navy Commander (later Rear-Admiral) Richard E. Byrd and three others completed the first aircraft flight over the South Pole. Twenty-seven years later, Rear-Admiral George J. Dufek became the first person to set foot on the pole since Scott, when on 31 October 1956 he and the crew of R4D-5 Skytrain "Que Sera Sera" landed at the pole. Between November 1956 and February 1957, the first permanent South Pole research station was erected and christened the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station in honour of the pioneer explorers. Since then the station had been substantially extended, housing up to 150 scientific staff and support personnel as of 2008. Dufek gave considerable assistance to the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1955–58, led by Vivian Fuchs, which on 19 January 1958 became the first party to reach the pole overland since Scott.
Read more about this topic: Farthest South
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