Admiral Byrd

Admiral Richard E. Byrd is the man who popularized the hollow earth theory in this modern era.  Or, more accurately, it is a work attributed to him that popularized it.  It's unknown whether the "diary" that documents his journey into the hollow earth truly was his or not.  We may not ever be able to know for sure.  If you're able to track down a copy, it's a fascinating read.  Conspiracy critic has an article series covering the hollow earth conspiracy.It's a solid read in it's own right, but importantly has a page with the full diary of Admiral Byrd.  If you have any interest in this theory, I cannot recommend reading the original diary any more strongly.

In the diary, he claims to have flown into a giant polar opening, so large that it seemed to be a ridge behind a mountain range instead of a cave opening.  This is one of the greatest issues modern hollow earth believers have with the diary as a factual account.  Most believe the older ideas of a giant opening at the north and south pole is impossible.  With advancements in satellite technology - and Google Earth - the evidence against them is very steep . It would require a very large government and private company cover up to keep the polar openings a secret.  The more likely explanation is that the openings to the inner hollow earth world are actually just small cave openings.  Anyone who has read "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" will recognize this as being the explanation in the book.

Notably, this book doesn't involve an actual hollow earth.  Instead, it focuses on a massive cave deep within the Earth that supports life.  This is another more modern interpretation that is more in step with our current scientific understanding.  The next post will be addressing these polar openings, so stay tuned!