Dash For The North Pole

Arctic explorers pushed their limits on this historic adventure.

- Jan Fields

On April 6, 1909, six men claimed their place as the first explorers to reach the North Pole. Their leader was Navy commander Robert E. Peary. He photographed the other men as they held up flags. One of them was Matthew Henson, the only African American explorer of the Arctic at the time. He held a patched American flag. The other four were Inuit hunters named Ootah, Ooqueah, Seegloo, and Egingwah.

Later, Henson wrote about that moment. He turned to Ootah and said, “We have found what we hunt.”

Ootah saw only ice. “There is nothing here,” he said.

The journey did not make sense to the Inuit. Arctic ice always shifts and cracks as it floats on the ocean. The hunters knew the ice could be deadly.

Many explorers had tried to reach the pole. Peary surpassed the others through clever planning. He also gave credit to Henson, who had joined him on three other Arctic expeditions.

Henson’s Talents