Explorer, United States Naval Officer. He led the first expeditions to reach the geographic North Pole of Earth, reaching it in his final expedition in 1909. Commissioned an officer in the United States Navy in the civil engineering corps in 1882, he soon hired Matthew A. Henson to be his valet; Henson would accompany him on all his expeditions. In 1908, after having already attempted two trips to the North Pole, Peary and his party sailed to Ellesmere Island (at the far north of Canada) on the "USS Roosevelt". In early March 1909, the expedition (Matthew A. Henson, Dr. John W. Goodsell, Donald B. MacMillion, Ross G. Marvin, George Borup and Captain Robert Bartlett) left their base camp at Cape Columbia and headed north in dog sleds (which Henson built). Peary, Henson and four Eskimos reached the North Pole on April 6, 1909 (the others turned back at various places along the way). It is now thought that Peary and Henson may have been 30-60 miles (50-100 km) short of reaching the pole (because of navigational mistakes that were made). Frederick A. Cook (who had accompanied Peary on an earlier expedition) later claimed to have reached the North Pole before Peary, in April 1908; this claim was later rejected completely as a cruel hoax. Robert Peary retired with the rank of Rear Admiral.
Explorer, United States Naval Officer. He led the first expeditions to reach the geographic North Pole of Earth, reaching it in his final expedition in 1909. Commissioned an officer in the United States Navy in the civil engineering corps in 1882, he soon hired Matthew A. Henson to be his valet; Henson would accompany him on all his expeditions. In 1908, after having already attempted two trips to the North Pole, Peary and his party sailed to Ellesmere Island (at the far north of Canada) on the "USS Roosevelt". In early March 1909, the expedition (Matthew A. Henson, Dr. John W. Goodsell, Donald B. MacMillion, Ross G. Marvin, George Borup and Captain Robert Bartlett) left their base camp at Cape Columbia and headed north in dog sleds (which Henson built). Peary, Henson and four Eskimos reached the North Pole on April 6, 1909 (the others turned back at various places along the way). It is now thought that Peary and Henson may have been 30-60 miles (50-100 km) short of reaching the pole (because of navigational mistakes that were made). Frederick A. Cook (who had accompanied Peary on an earlier expedition) later claimed to have reached the North Pole before Peary, in April 1908; this claim was later rejected completely as a cruel hoax. Robert Peary retired with the rank of Rear Admiral.
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