William Reed

William Reed (1840 - 1910) was an American insurance agent and author of a book that denied polar expeditions had reached the poles (as, Reed argued, there are no such poles), that the Earth is Hollow, and the aurorae are produced by light escaping the inner earth. In an effort to prove out his claims, Reed formed the William Reed Hollow Earth Exploring Club, including supporters the likes of Bradley S. Osbon among the ranks, and boasted of plans to spend up to one-and-a-half million dollars to prove his theories.

Reading

 * &mdash; overview of Reed's theory, the Club, from various news outlets of the time