- published: 25 Sep 2007
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Finn Ronne (Norwegian: Finn Rønne) (20 December 1899 – 12 January 1980) was a Norwegian-born U.S. Antarctic explorer.
Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne (1861-1932), was a polar explorer and served in Roald Amundsen's successful expedition to the South Pole. Ronne received his education in engineering at Horten Technical College.
In 1923 Finn Ronne immigrated to the U.S. and gained citizenship in 1929. After working at Westinghouse Electric Corporation for some years, he took part in two of Richard E. Byrd's expeditions to the South Pole, and in 1939 Ronne served as Byrd's executive officer helping discover one thousand miles of new coastline.
After serving several years in the United States Navy, gaining the rank of Captain, Ronne returned to Antarctica in the 1940s, with support of the American Geographical Society. The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition from 1946 to 1948 mapped and explored the Weddell Sea coastline and set a number of polar records. Ronne covered 3,600 miles by ski and dog sled—more than any other explorer in history. His wife Edith Ronne accompanied him on this expedition, serving as ‘historian and correspondent for the North American Newspaper Alliance’. She and the chief pilot's wife Jennie Darlington were the first women to overwinter in Antarctica.
Poul Anker Bech (April 13, 1942 – 2009) was a Danish painter.
He started painting in the 1960s and studied at The Jutland Academy of Art in Aarhus, 1966–67. He quit his job in 1988 to become a full-time painter.
Poul Anker Bech painted everyday landscapes and situations, from an unusual point of view. His motives often contain ironic or surrealistic elements.
He himself has said that he would like his paintings to easily be remembered, without needing to understand their meaning.
On August 27, 2003, a Danish 19-krone stamp was published using one of Poul Anker Bech's paintings, Det forjættede land (the promised land). He was the recipient of a lifetime stipendium from the Danish government's Art Fund, as well as several prizes.
Poul Anker Bech was a member of the Corner artist group.