Peary Facts Country United States Occupation Land Surveyor & Civil Engineer in U.S. Navy Arctic Regions Explored Greenland, North Pole # of Arctic expeditions More than 10 Most famous expedition Reached North Pole (1909) Other Significant Events Confirmed Greenland was an island; collected meteorites there Did you know? Before his North Pole expeditions Peary made four unsuccessful attempts to find the Northwest Passage. Peary chose Henson to accompany him on 7 expeditions to the Arctic because of Henson's strength, resource-fulness, and his skills as a mechanic, navigator and carpenter. It was previously thought that Peary and Henson may have been 30 to 60 miles short of reaching the pole because of navigational errors, but a new study made public in 1989 supported the legitimacy of Peary's claim. Peary and Henson both received Congressional Medals of Honor in 1944.

Robert Peary
(1856 - 1920)

Robert Edwin Peary was an American explorer and Naval officer who led the first expedition to the North Pole. Born in Cresson, Pennsylvania, he was employed as a land surveyor and draftsman for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey before being commissioned as a civil engineer in the U.S. Navy in 1881. It was while working on a canal project in steamy Nicaragua that Peary read a study on the exploration of Greenland and his interest in the Arctic began. He was able to arrange it so that he could pursue his Arctic explorations while he was on leave from the Navy.

In Washington, Peary was introduced to an African American named Matthew Henson, then U.S. Navy civil engineer. Henson knew a good deal about travel, having gone to sea as a cabin boy at the age of 12. Peary was so impressed with Henson skills and knowledge that he made him part of his first polar expedition team. Henson would eventually come to be Peary's most trusted associate and would accompany him to the North Pole.

During the late 1800's Peary led many expeditions to Greenland for scientific study and exploration. These journeys were able to gather much important geographical, ethnological and meteorological information about the region and he was the first to explore the northeast coast of Greenland. New expeditions continued the work in 1893-95, and in two summer voyages (1896, 1897) Peary brought back to the United States his noted meteorites.

Granted another leave of absence from naval duty, he again led an expedition (1898-1902), this time to search for the North Pole. He was only able to reach lat. 84°17'N, but he made important surveys of Ellesmere Land and a study of the surface and drift of the polar ice pack. Peary surmised that Ellesmere Island would be the best stepping-off point for his trek to the Pole, and not Greenland as had been previously believed. He also concluded that he would have greater success traveling in late winter, when the ice was firmer, than in summer.

So on March 1, 1909 he and his entourage of 23 men, 133 dogs, and 19 sleds set off from Ellesmere Island for his third and final quest of the North Pole. By the time April 6, 1909, rolled around, only six men, Peary, Henson, and four Eskimos -- Oatah, Egingwah, Seegloo, and Ookeah -- were left to witness the planting of the American flag on the North Pole. Peary announced that he had achieved his goal, but on his return he learned of the prior claim of Dr. Frederick A. Cook, who had been ship's surgeon on Peary's expedition of 1891-92. An extremely bitter controversy followed in which Cook's claim was eventually disproved.

Peary's preparation for his run at the North Pole involved much observation of Inuit customs and daily life. Peary and Henson made sure they learned all they could about dogsleds, furs, and igloos. Henson was especially skilled at endearing himself to the local populations, and passed the wisdom of their ways to Peary. Though his role in assisting Peary in reaching the North Pole was often diminished by those who held his race against him, Henson eventually earned due credit. Late in his life he was made a member of the exclusive Explorer's Club, and in 1988 his simple grave in New York City was moved to a place of honor in Arlington National Cemetery -- right beside that of Robert Peary.