Professor Hamilton's Diary: May 10, 1935

Polar explorer Admiral Byrd is hailed as a hero

Professor Hamilton was AWOL again today, but Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd got a hero’s welcome from President Roosevelt, who greeted him and his crew at the Navy Yard as they returned from their second expedition to Anarctica.

What had Byrd done to garner this attention from the commander in chief? Paid subscribers can read on. You can upgrade to get the full skinny by clicking below.

FDR had known Byrd for many years. The photo above, part of the collection of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, was taken on May 10, 1930 — a full five years earlier — when Roosevelt was governor of New York.