1880-1951

American engineer and aviator who participated in expeditions to South America, the Arctic, and the Antarctic. He helped finance several of these expeditions, including a flight over the North Pole, several flights over Antarctica, and an unsuccessful effort to sail a submarine under the North Pole. Ellsworth also participated in a German expedition to fly the dirigible Graf Zeppelin along the Arctic coast of Siberia in 1931. This expedition helped determine the true geographical boundaries of the Arctic.