Existing comment:
Robert E. Peary, 1856-1920
Born Cresson, Pennsylvania
Robert E. Peary first became interested in the vast inland ice regions of Greenland while serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy's civil engineering corps. A reconnaissance expedition to that area in 1886 convinced him to make Arctic research his life's work. After completing several expeditions, Peary wrote in his diary on April 6, 1909: "The Pole at last. The prize of three centuries. My dream for twenty years." His triumph was marred, however, by Dr. Frederick Cook's claim of having reached the pole a year earlier. Cook -- whose claim was later discredited -- had, as ship's surgeon, accompanied one of Peary's early Arctic expeditions. In 1911, after the controversy subsided, Peary was voted the thanks of Congress and given a rear admiral's pension. Still, questions have lingered over the precise scientific accuracy of Peary's claims.
Unidentified artist, 1908-9 |