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Historical Information

Prominent Explorers Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Floyd Bennett -- Co-pilot with Richard Byrd in 1926, when they completed a 1,500-mile flight to the North Pole. Medal of Honor recipient. (3/1852, ST-17)

Adm. Richard Byrd -- Arctic explorer and first man to fly over both poles. He was awarded the Medal of Honor. (2/4969 WX- 32/33)

Adolphus W. Greely -- Arctic explorer who survived two years of Arctic winters without being resupplied in 1881. Founder of the National Geographic Society, he was awarded the Medal of Honor when he was 91 years old. (1/129 NO-32/33)

Matthew Hensen -- Life-long companion and co-discoverer with Robert E. Peary of the North Pole. (8/15 X-8/9)

Robert E. Peary -- Arctic explorer credited for many years as the discoverer of the North Pole. Peary was granted the rank of rear admiral by Congress. (8/S-15 X-8/9) Gold lettering indicates Medal of Honor

John Wesley Powell -- First person to explore the Grand Canyon in 1869. Not only an explorer, Powell was also a geologist and a native-American linguist. (1/408 L-35)

Finn Ronne -- Polar explorer, discovered the Ronne Ice Shelf, which was named after him. (2/4957)

Cmdr. Elmer Stone -- Coast Guard pilot who was co-pilot of the first transatlantic flight in May 1919.

Adm. Charles Wilkes -- Antarctic explorer who led expedition resulting in the discovery that Antarctica is a separate continent. Was a Civil War naval commander. (2/1164 TU-32)

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