yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Who Was the First Person to Reach the North Pole? | National Geographic


2m read
·Nov 11, 2024

Who was the first person to reach the North Pole? You might think it was Robert Peary or Frederick Cook. However, the title could actually belong to an African-American explorer named Matthew Henson.

In 1866, only a year after the end of the Civil War, Henson grew up in Maryland. Forty-three years later, some believe he became the first person to set foot on the North Pole.

Just 13 years old, Matthew Henson left home and joined a ship crew as a cabin boy. He traveled the world and learned to read and write. In 1887, Henson was working as a store clerk in Washington, D.C., where he met the explorer Robert Peary. Peary hired him as a valet, and the two men began a working relationship that lasted for over two decades and half a dozen voyages.

Henson proved invaluable as an expert dogsled driver, hunter, craftsman, and navigator, who even became fluent in Inuit. Their team also included four Inuit guides who helped them in their mission. The explorers made several failed attempts before they finally reached the North Pole in 1909.

Legend has it that Henson and two of the Inuit men arrived at the pole 45 minutes before Peary, likely making one of them the first to set foot on the North Pole. Henson later said, “I think I am the first man to sit on top of the world.”

Peary's achievements were recognized by the National Geographic Society when he returned. He was awarded the first-ever Hubbard Medal, National Geographic's highest honor. But Henson's contributions were mostly overlooked by the scientific community.

Henson went on to work as an official in the U.S. Customs House in New York City and passed away in 1955. It wasn't until almost a century after Peary was given the Hubbard Medal that Henson was awarded the same honor.

More Articles

View All
Cheap FPV Goggles for the NEO - DJI N3
Check out these goggles! They are the DJI N3, and they are a cheaper version of DJI’s FPV goggles. So that you could fly with the DJI Neo or the DJI Avada 2 and not have to spend $500 for a set of goggles. These are priced at $229. In this video, what I …
Where does NASA keep the Moon Rocks? - Smarter Every Day 220
[Destin] What is this? Apollo 11, the first mission. [Destin] This is Apollo 11? [Andrea] The first mission, these are the samples, all the samples that were brought back from the Apollo 11 mission. [Destin] Is it still awesome for you? It’s awesome,…
BITCOIN TO $500,000 - What You MUST Know
What’s up, Graham? It’s guys here, and I’m not gonna lie, sometimes it feels like we’re living in the golden era of the finance and investment community. Although I realize that “golden era” might not be the proper term here because we’re not talking abou…
How to Analyze an Annual Report (10-K) Like a Hedge Fund Analyst
Legendary investor Warren Buffett has said in countless interviews that being able to analyze a company’s annual report is foundational for successful investing. In this video, we are going to go over how to analyze a company’s annual report, also referre…
You Can Always Leave
Imagine you have a friend called George… This story was misleading. George isn’t being threatened! He’s just being asked to pay his fair share like the rest of us. If he doesn’t like the arrangement, he can always leave. Let’s start with the question of …
Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes
I think when you’re being authentic, you don’t really mind competition that much. Yeah, it pisses you off and inspires some fear and jealousy and all the other emotions that come along with it. But also, you don’t really mind because you’re more oriented …