Byrd Antarctic Expedition II Cover Signed by Byrd Below His Photograph

Byrd was a naval officer and polar explorer, recipient of the Medal of Honor, and organizer of polar logistics. Many questions were left unanswered upon conclusion of Byrd’s first Antarctic expedition and the Admiral was all too aware of the necessity for a quick return to the ice. Plans were soon made for a second expedition as many of the experienced men would still be available and polar interest in America was thriving. Despite declining interest in the region for many years, Americans were quick to resume that interest following the great successes of the First Byrd Expedition and the Wilkins-Hearst Expedition between 1928 and 1930. Daily newspaper and radio accounts, particularly of the South Polar flight and discovery of Marie Byrd Land, made Byrd’s first expedition a topic of conversation throughout America. America was in the midst of a great economic depression in the early thirties, however the renewed of the American public resulted in necessary resources and funding for a second assault on the ice. The Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition was covered as thoroughly in the media as the first but it was the radio programs, broadcast by the men from Little America, which spilled into the living rooms of America, that sustained and encouraged American presence in the Antarctic during this expedition and the others that followed. A number of “firsts” were accomplished during the Second Byrd Antarctic Expedition; it was the first time that automotive transportation proved to be a valuable asset. Results from the first seismic investigations in Antarctica provided the initial evidence of the extent to which the Ross Ice Shelf was aground or afloat. The first human voices were transmitted from Little America on February 1, 1934 and later a weekly broadcast was carried over the Columbia Broadcasting System in the United States. Additionally, this expedition marked the first time that cosmic ray and meteor observations were taken in such high southern latitudes. Although the First Byrd Antarctic Expedition was the beginning of the mechanical age in Antarctica, the Second Expedition took mechanical and electrical resources to a new level. Motor-driven generating plants provided Little America with electrical power, thereby allowing use of electrical power tools used in construction and maintenance of mechanical devices used at Little America as well as exercises in the field.

A cover celebrating the “Byrd Antarctic Expedition II, Little America [Antarctica], Antarctica Second Cancellation Mail,” with a stamped picture of one penguin handing a piece of mail to another and a wonderful picture of Byrd at the left, signed by Byrd next to his picture. Near the signature someone has identified the location as “Little America, 2/2/35”, and there appears to be a light address to the “Byrd Antarctic Exp. II, Washington, D.C.” With a 3 cent Byrd Antarctic Expedition II postage stamp cancelled at Little America, January 30, 1935.