Richard Byrd wanted to be the first man to fly to the North Pole. By telling one momentous lie he become an all-American hero, received the highest distinction his President could bestow, and secured a lifetime of celebrity. The cost to others of that race proved fatal, the price Byrd paid himself was no less than his own soul. This is the story of Richard Byrd, who claimed to have won the race to the Pole in 1926, and the consequences of the lie he told.

Jeremy Scott is the author of Dancing on Ice: A 1930s Arctic Adventure. He lives in London, England.