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First Explorers of the North Pole

Robert Peary, an American explorer, claimed to be the first person to reach the North Pole in 1909 after returning from his eighth Arctic expedition. However, many people at the time and modern explorers disagree with his claim because he returned to his base in just over two weeks, which would have been an impossible speed. The first person confirmed to have reached the North Pole on foot was the British explorer Wally Herbert in 1969.

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15 views1 page

First Explorers of the North Pole

Robert Peary, an American explorer, claimed to be the first person to reach the North Pole in 1909 after returning from his eighth Arctic expedition. However, many people at the time and modern explorers disagree with his claim because he returned to his base in just over two weeks, which would have been an impossible speed. The first person confirmed to have reached the North Pole on foot was the British explorer Wally Herbert in 1969.

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OLevke
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READING Module5.

To the 
North Pole

Most people know about the race to be the first person to reach the South Pole, which Roald
Amundsen won in 1911. But who was the first person to reach the North Pole? Many history
books say it was Robert Peary, but modern Arctic explorers disagree.

Robert Peary was an American engineer and Arctic explorer who went on eight expeditions to the
Arctic. In 1891 he made his first journey with his wife and his friend Matthew Henson. In 1909 he
returned from his eighth expedition and said that he had reached the North Pole. He even had a
photograph of Henson holding a flag at the pole.

But many people at the time refused to accept that he had reached the pole, especially as he had
arrived back to his base in just over two weeks. Modern explorers agree and say that it was
impossible for him to have travelled so fast.

Later, other explorers managed to reach the pole. In 1948 Alexander Kuznetsov landed a plane
nearby and walked to the pole. And in 1958 a US submarine travelled under the ice at the North
Pole. But the first explorer to definitely reach the North Pole on foot was the British writer and
artist Wally Herbert, in 1969.

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