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

who was the first person to reach the
North Pole you might think it was Robert
Perry or Frederick cook however the
title could actually belong to an
african-american Explorer named Matthew
Henson for an 1866 only a year after the
end of the Civil War
Henson grew up in Maryland 43 years
later some believe he became the first
person to set foot on the North Pole
[Music]
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
DC where he met the Explorer Robert
Perry Perry 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 ER
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 Perry likely making one of them
the first set foot on the North Pole
Henson later said I think I am the first
man to sit on top of the world
Perry’s achievements were recognized by
the National Geographic Society when he
returned he was awarded the first ever
Hubbard medal
national Geographics highest honor but
Henson’s contributions were mostly
overlooked by the scientific community
Henson went on to work as an official in
the US Customs House in New York City
and passed away in 1955
it wasn’t until almost a century after
Perry was given the Hubbard metal that
Henson was awarded the same honor [Music]