Peary and Henson Reach North Pole: The Summit of Exploration
Robert Peary and Matthew Henson claimed to reach the North Pole on April 6, 1909, after eight failed attempts over 23 years. Henson, an African American explorer, actually planted the flag because Peary was too exhausted and frostbitten to walk the final distance. Four Inuit men, Ootah, Egingwah, Seegloo, and Ooqueah, made the final dash with them but received little credit for decades. The claim has never been definitively verified. Peary's navigational records show suspicious gaps, and his claimed travel speeds of 135 miles in the final days are considered physically improbable by modern polar explorers. Frederick Cook had claimed to reach the Pole a year earlier, sparking a bitter public feud that both men's supporters maintain to this day.
April 6, 1909
117 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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