(1856–1920). The most famous U.S. explorer of the Arctic was Robert E. Peary. He discovered the northern tip of Greenland, and it is generally believed that he was one of the first people to stand at the North Pole.

Early life

Robert Edwin Peary was born in Cresson, Pennsylvania, on May 6, 1856. When he was only 2 years old, his father died. Robert then moved with his mother to Maine, where he grew up. After studying engineering in college, he joined the U.S. Navy.

Early Arctic expeditions

In 1886 Peary saw the Arctic for the first time. With a Danish companion he tried to cross the Greenland ice cap but had to turn back because of bad weather. Back in Washington, D.C., he met Matthew Henson, a former merchant seaman with many talents. Henson became his assistant and companion on all his later expeditions.

Between 1891 and 1909 Peary and Henson made seven trips to the Arctic. Peary's wife, Josephine Peary, accompanied them at first. The explorers always depended on help from the local Inuit people.

Peary's earlier expeditions were focused on Greenland. He discovered the northern coast of the island, thus proving that the Greenland ice cap did not extend all the way to the North Pole. He gave the name Peary Land to a region in northern Greenland. He made two expeditions to the northwest coast of the island to bring back large meteorites, or rocks that had fallen from space, for a museum.

Between 1898 and 1902 Peary made a serious attempt to reach the North Pole. He did not succeed. Instead, he suffered the loss of most of his toes due to frostbite. But he was not discouraged.

Peary's 1905–06 expedition was mostly paid for by a group of wealthy Americans. With their money, a powerful icebreaking ship called the Roosevelt was built. On it, Peary's party steamed to Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic. Then they went north by dogsled, before rough ice and bad weather forced them back. Peary came within 174 miles (280 kilometers) of the Pole, which was closer than anyone before him had come.

Trip to the North Pole

Peary's final polar expedition began in 1908. Once more, Peary used the Roosevelt and set up a base on Ellesmere Island. The final leg of the trip to the North Pole was made by Peary, Henson, and four Inuit. The six men did not always stay together. On April 6, 1909, Peary and Henson reached the North Pole.

When Peary got back to civilization, he learned that a member of one of his early expeditions, Dr. Frederick Cook, was claiming to have reached the Pole a year earlier. Few people now take Cook's claims seriously, but some people believe Henson reached the Pole before Peary. As an African American, Henson definitely got less credit than he deserved for his contributions to the expedition.

Some scientists and historians doubt whether either Peary or Henson reached the North Pole. They point out that Peary's records were not complete, and they do not believe he was away from camp long enough to have sledded all the way to the Pole and back. It would not have done him any good to leave a marker because there is only drifting ice, no solid land, in the region of the North Pole. The question may never be settled.

Later life

In his own day, Peary was hailed by most people as the discoverer of the North Pole. He wrote a record of his explorations and retired from the Navy with the rank of rear admiral. Peary died of leukemia on February 20, 1920.