Peary Arctic Expedition
Photograph by Admiral Robert E. Peary
After several failed attempts, 23 years of effort, and a lifetime of obsession with the Arctic, Admiral Robert Peary led in April 1909 what was then believed to be the first successful expedition to the North Pole. His stalwart crew, pictured here, included Inuits Ooqeah, Ootah, Egingwah, and Seeglo and fellow American Matthew Henson. Later studies found that Peary was actually 30 to 60 miles (50 to 100 kilometers) short of the Pole.