the first men to reach the south pole were a group from norway led by roald amundsen. they arrived at the pole on december 14, 1911 and left the norwegian flag. amundsen and his men returned home safely. amundsen's story is one of excellent planning, good leadership, and willingness to learn from others: this made extreme endurance unnecessary, and perhaps made the successful expedition less of a story, and therefore perhaps less famous, than the next one.