Peary, Robert Edwin

Peary, Robert Edwin (1856-1920), American explorer.

Rear-Admiral Robert Edwin Peary of the United States Navy was the first man to reach the North Pole.

Peary began exploring in the Arctic in 1886. In twenty-three years after that, he spent fifteen summers and eight winters in the Arctic.

In 1906, he got to within 205 miles (330 kilometers) of the North Pole, further north than anyone up to that time.

In March 1909, he reached 875 degrees North and set out with his assistant, Matthew Henson, and four Eskimos for the Pole. They had five sledges, forty dogs and enough food for seven weeks. The North Pole was 130 miles (209 kilometers) ahead and they reached it on 6 April, 1909.

Essential reading: Bruce Henderson True North: Peary, Cook, and the Race to the Pole