Andrée, Salomon August [key], 1854–97, Swedish polar explorer, grad. Royal Inst. of Technology, Stockholm. An aeronautical engineer and head of the Swedish patent office's technical department, he was the first to attempt arctic exploration by air. His first attempt by balloon in 1896, was unsuccessful, owing largely to bad weather. In 1897, however, he set out again in a similar hydrogen balloon made of varnished silk, fitted with special equipment he designed, and called the Eagle. Beset by mishaps from the start, Andrée and his party reached as far as 82°56′N, where insufficient food and clothing halted their progress. All three members of the party died of exposure. Search expeditions failed, and it was not until 1930 that a Norwegian scientific expedition accidentally found the remains and diaries of Andrée and his two companions. These diaries are included in Andrée's Story (tr. 1930).
See study by A. Wilkinson (2012).
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