Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer who became the first man to reach the South Pole when he successfully led an Antarctic expedition to the dangerous terrain on which no man had set foot previously. One of the greatest figures in the world of polar exploration, he was also the first one to traverse the Northwest Passage in the Arctic. Born to a family of Norwegian ship-owners and captains, traveling and exploring was in his blood. He dreamed of exploring the vast wildernesses and remote terrains in the world from a young age, inspired by the expeditions undertaken by the likes of Fridtjof Nansen and Sir John Franklin. However, as a youngster he could not chase his dreams as his mother made him promise that he would study medicine and become a doctor. He studied medicine for a while but quit on the death of his mother to pursue his childhood passion of traveling. Standing tall at over six feet in height and strongly built, he prepared himself for his future expeditions by sleeping with his windows open during the freezing Norwegian winters. His dedication paid off and within a few years he joined the ranks of the greatest explorers who ventured into the frigid geographic poles of the earth.