Richard E. Byrd held the rank of Admiral and his military career was distinguished. But it is exploration that he will be most remembered for. The Byrd Expidition was the first American expidition to explore Antarctica since the U.S. Exploring Expidition under Charles Wilkes in 1840. The expidition launched a revival of interest in the Antarctic for Americans, an area much in the public mind during the 1800's. The exploring expidition organized by Richard in 1928 may be considered the first of the mechanical age of exploration in Antarctica.