Nansen, Fridtjof

Nansen, Fridtjof (1861-1930), Norwegian explorer.

Fridtjof Nansen made his first voyage in the Arctic at the age of twenty-one.

In 1888, he and five companions made the first crossing of Greenland from east to west.

In 1893, he tried to drift with the ice across the North Pole in a specially-built ship called Fram. The ship reached 84 degrees 4 minutes North and Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen marched on to 86 degrees 14 minutes North. This was farther north than anyone had been up to that time and less than 261 miles (420 k) from the North Pole.

Nansen and Johansen spent a winter on the ice and reached safety after an adventurous journey.

In later life, Nansen worked to help homeless people in Europe and in 1922 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

See Fridjtof Nansen Farthest North