Matthew Alexander Henson was an American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on seven voyages to the Arctic over a period of nearly 23 years. His first expedition was a first mate on the Belgian Antarctic Expedition – the first ever to overwinter in the region. In historical perspective, science has been practiced by different individuals in different cultures. Simply getting there was no longer the primary goal; scientific study of the polar regions included geological investigation, advances in radio transmission, weather observation, and continued mapping of the vast Arctic and Antarctic regions. The Ohio State University Archives, Papers of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, RG 56.1, image #7739_6. The United States Air Force independently confirmed their position. The Ohio State University Archives, Frederick A. Cook Society Collection, RG 56.17, image #34_34y. Richard E. Byrd, officially retired from the U.S. Navy, was a proponent of aerial investigation. As the team trudged through the Arctic, Peary said, “Henson must go all the way. It is not clear who was the first to reach the North Pole. 2007: Arktika 2007, Russian submersible descends to the ocean floor below the North Pole from the Akademik Fyodorov (A third companion, Geir Randby, was injured en route and had to abandon the expedition.) The books became bestsellers and also fueled the public debate. Information about Frederick Cook and the continuing controversy surrounding his claim of reaching the North Pole in 1909. Read about polar explorers and view images and online exhibits related to the history of polar exploration. In exchange for their investments, Byrd signed contracts guaranteeing his story to the various media. And how can we say with certainty that Richard E. Byrd did or did not fly over the North Pole in 1926? Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press. Amundsen and his small expedition reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, traveling by dog sled. South Pole - 1911. He was laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery. During the last stretch towards the north, only five men had survived. Your email address will not be published. In addition, magnetic compasses are rendered useless in the polar regions due to the magnetic field at the poles. This work is licensed under an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons license. There are notes written by Byrd to his pilot Floyd Bennett, during the flight, due to cockpit noise which made it difficult to communicate verbally. Amundsen got there first by a different route, just one month ahead. These questions may be impossible to answer. Who Was The First To Go To The North Pole? Peary also received the Cullum Geographical Award, Charles P. Daly Medal, Helen Culver Medal, Royal Belgian Geographical Society gold medal, and Hubbard Medal among many other medals. The article is free for NSTA members and $0.99 for nonmembers. Though Cook appeared to welcome Peary’s announcement and was willing to share the limelight, Peary was furious at Cook’s attempt to “steal” his victory. Famed African American explorer Matthew Henson was hired by explorer Robert Edwin as his valet for expeditions. This article from The Science Teacher, a member journal of the National Science Teachers Association, presents research on the best resources and strategies for incorporating polar exploration history into the science classroom. The Ohio State University Archives, Papers of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, RG 56.1, image #7638_13. The North Pole: Its Discovery In 1909 Under the Auspices of the Peary Arctic Club. Complicating the situation for Cook was that his claim to have been the first to summit Mt. While explorers are usually part of a geography or social studies curriculum, including lessons on polar explorers (past and present) can also meet the History and Nature of Science Content Standard for grades K-4 and 5-8: This article was written by Laura Kissel and Lynn Lay. The National Geographic Society examined Byrd’s records and confirmed his navigational calculations and instrumentation as accurate. Determining one’s position, then, is based on calculations using a chronometer – basically a highly efficient time piece – and a sextant – a navigational instrument that allowed an explorer to compute latitude based on the position of the sun. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The North Pole controversy does not end with Cook and Peary; fast forward from 1909 to 1926. However, Peary had a unique approach towards exploration. Pull up MapQuest on your web browser and input your destination? The Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program, Our Polar Past: Using the History of Polar Exploration in the Science Classroom, http://www.ohiostatepress.org/index.htm?/books/book%20pages/goerler%20to.htm. Frederick Cook and Robert … On April 6, 1909 Robert Peary, Matthew Henson, their Inuit guide Ootah, and three other Inuit named Ooqueah, Seegloo, and Egigingwah, reached the North Pole—or at least came close. A week later, Robert E. Peary, a civil engineer and a commander in the U.S. Navy, announced that he had reached the North Pole, accompanied by his long-time companion Matthew Henson, and he denounced Cook as a fraud. In looking at the history of many peoples, one finds that scientists and engineers of high achievement are considered to be among the most valued contributors to their culture. Consequently, he began dressing and living like them. He also received a generous federal pension. Science requires different abilities, depending on such factors as the field of study and type of inquiry. A US explorer called Frederick Cook claimed to have walked there in 1908, but had no proof. Robert E. Peary, circa 1909. North Pole - 1909. The Byrd papers came to the Ohio State University in the mid-1980s, but remained unprocessed until the 1990s, when a U.S. Department of Education grant provided the funding to process the collection. Pathe cameraman filming the Josephine Ford as it was being prepared for flight to the North Pole. Peary’s mission had fin… Some believe that the erasures present evidence that Byrd was lying about achieving the Pole; others believe that this simply shows that he made a calculation error and was correcting it. Women and men of various social and ethnic backgrounds – and with diverse interests, talents, qualities, and motivations – engaged in the activities of science, engineering, and related fields such as the health professions. Cook’s critics felt that if he lied about Mt. Unlike today, when travelers might blog about their journeys to places unknown, taking hundreds of digital images and video along the way, polar explorers in 1909 were much more limited by their tools. First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, first to the surface of the moon—all accomplished by our members. Many individuals have contributed to the traditions of science. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company. A 700-kilometer solo speed ski from Siberia to the pole would have made him the first person to trek from land to the North Pole since 2014. He would travel using sled dogs, he built igloos, and wore heavy fur. On May 9, 1926, Byrd made another attempt. McKinley, then certainly he was lying about the North Pole as well. One even stated that Byrd’s pilot, Floyd Bennett, confessed that he and Byrd had actually flown out of sight and circled until enough time had passed for Byrd to claim they had made it to the North Pole. The first man to reach the North Pole was Robert Peary. Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) was a Norwegian polar explorer who was the first person to fly over the North Pole in a dirigible (May 11-13, 1926) and was the first person to reach the South Pole. He earned his pilot’s wings after an injury to his foot forced him to redirect his naval career. He is best known for his participation in the 1908–1909 expedition that claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole on April 6, 1909. Sometimes he corrected the printed date at the top of the page and sometimes he did not. At 9:02 a.m., Byrd’s calculations indicated that they were at the North Pole. Peary's ship, the Roosevelt, departed from New York City's 24th Street pier in … During the 19th Century, many explorers used European methods of exploring. Or, do you have a GPS unit for your car? Email Kimberly Lightle, Principal Investigator, with any questions about the content of this site. For a defense of Peary’s rival, check out … This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. In 1926, with the backing of the National Geographic Society and private donations from many influential people of the time, such as Edsel Ford, John D. Rockefeller, Vincent Astor, and others, Byrd was able to secure enough money to lease a ship and buy an airplane and all the needed supplies to embark on a north polar flight. It does not include subsequent travelers and expeditions. Another American called Robert Peary announced that he had reached the Pole in 1909, but because his men were not … Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer, was one of the greatest figures in the field of polar exploration. Though bad weather and mechanical breakdowns hampered the success of flight on the Greenland Expedition, Byrd continued to have faith that airplanes would indeed be successful in investigation of the polar regions. He was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. While on … Henson, an African-American, had traveled with Peary on all of his “farthest north” expeditions. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2021 worldatlas.com. This page from the International Polar Foundation’s web site profiles current polar explorers. Henson claimed he was the first. New York: The Polar Publishing Company. Even radio transmission was limited during this time period; explorers had to get to the nearest populated city in order to share their discoveries with the world. Unlike the South Pole, which lies on a land mass, the North Pole is actually in a vast sea covered by floating ice. The first people verified to have set foot at the North Pole were a research group of geologists and oceanographers from the Soviet Union in 1948. Each side has its supporters as well as detractors. The five were Henson, Peary, and three Inuits. For more information, see the Contributors page. Many people choose science as a career and devote their entire lives to studying it. Byrd was the commander of the aviation unit on this expedition. In January 2015 he became the first solo climber to reach the top of Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) during the month of January, after three previous attempts in … He led the first expedition to reach the South Pole and was the first person to visit both the North and South Pole. After extensive organization and planning, delays and complications, Byrd finally took off in his plane, the Josephine Ford, on May 9, 1926, at 12:30 a.m. Floyd Bennett did most of the piloting, with Byrd as navigator. What is the Difference Between the Vatican City and the Holy See. Not giving up on his mission, Peary continued with this arctic expedition in 1905. Some researchers have concluded that neither one actually got to the North Pole. The entire National Science Education Standards document can be read online or downloaded for free from the National Academies Press web site. The group departed from Ellesmere Island on March 6, and after 56 days she and five other team members arrived at the North Pole by dogsled without benefit of resupply. Peary went to Bowdoin College. However, Peary was acclaimed as the first Westerner to have ever set foot on the geographic North Pole. In 1893, the explorers began working toward the North Pole, and in 1906, during their second attempt, they nearly reached latitude 88 degrees north–only 150 miles from their objective. Since the ice is constantly in motion, planting a flag or otherwise marking the spot is futile. Shortly after they returned from the Pole, Cook and Peary each published their version of the truth in books that discussed their expeditions and discoveries in minute detail. Roald Amundsen (July 16, 1872-June 22, 1928) was a Norwegian polar explorer who was the first person to fly over the North Pole in a dirigible (May 11-13, 1926) and was the first person to reach the South Pole. Most entries are written in pencil and the entries are out of order chronologically. Our Polar Past: Using the History of Polar Exploration in the Science Classroom Polar Explorer; in 2006, Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen (see below) were the first to get to the North Pole in the warm summer months. Peary received a “Thanks of the Congress” in honor of his rare achievement. It was reignited in 1996 when an Ohio State University archivist, Raimund E. Goerler, discovered Byrd’s North Pole expedition diary among Byrd’s papers. Studying some of these individuals provides further understanding of scientific inquiry, science as a human endeavor, the nature of science, and the relationship between science and society. The Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program holds the papers of the Frederick A. Cook Society, while Cook’s diaries and other personal papers are held in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Robert E. Peary’s papers can be found in the U.S. National Archives in Washington, D.C. Polar explorers during this time were expected to keep detailed, handwritten diaries of their travels, including navigational calculations. Finally, Peary and Henson reached the North Pole. Lonnie Dupre and teammate Eric Larsen departed Cape Discovery, Ellesmere Island and arrived at the North Pole on July 2, after 62 days on the ice. First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, first to the surface of the moon—all accomplished by our members. Though Peary recognized Henson’s contribution to his success, stating, “Henson was the best man I had with me for this kind of work,” he also minimized Henson’s role after the fact. Although men and women using scientific inquiry have learned much about the objects, events, and phenomena in nature, much more remains to be understood. In 1893, the explorers began working toward the North Pole, and in 1906, during their second attempt, they nearly reached latitude 88 degrees north–only 150 miles from their objective. Finally, Peary and Henson reached the North Pole. McKinley (in Alaska) in 1906 had been called into question. The North Pole was not a concern for these early explorers, but their work laid the foundation for a polar obsession to come. In addition, a monument exists in Cape York, Greenland in memory of Robert Peary. When these explorers came back with tales of diamonds and coal near the Pole, the … It is not clear who was the first to reach the North Pole. Summit of Mount Everest - 1953. The Frederick A. Cook Society He claimed that bad weather conditions and drifting ice had prohibited his southward return and he and his companions were forced to winter over in an ice cave. The content standards are found in Chapter 6. Byrd Polar Research Center Archival Program But the … His mission began with 24 men, 19 sledges and 133 dogs. The most vocal skeptics came forward after Byrd’s death in 1957. Roald Amundsen. Is The South Pole Colder Than The North Pole Of The Earth? Peary’s mission had finally been accomplished on April 6, 1909. Finding the North Pole is tricky. In 1909, Peary, Matthew A. Henson, and four Eskimos were the first people to reach the North Pole. Pictures and short biographies are included. North Pole - 1909 Robert Peary, Matthew Henson, and Ootah South Pole - 1911 Peary, Robert E. 1910. Amundsen and his small expedition reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911, traveling by dog sled. However, his legacy of being the first Western man to reach the North Pole remains in the records to date. Back in the region Peary got to the North Pole controversy does not end with Cook and,... Many people choose science as a result, he made several trips to Greenland he. 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