POLAR REGIONS

Arctic Exploration

Peary and Cook: The Race for the North Pole

A fter Franklin, died a new type of explorer came to the Arctic, whose only aim was to be first to the North Pole. Two Americans, Robert Peary and Frederick Cook, both claimed to be the first. Neither claim has been proved beyond doubt. Learning to Live Like an Inuk Peary made eight Arctic expeditions. He trained as a surveyor before joining the US Navy as an engineer . He was 34 when he went on his first Arctic expedition in 1891. On it Peary showed that Greenland was an island by mapping its northern coast. He confirmed that the way to the Pole must be over the sea ice of the Arctic Ocean. Peary worked closely with the Inuit. He organized whole villages to help him. He learned Inuit ways of sledding with dogs. He also learned how to live off seals, polar bears, and caribou as the Inuit did. Off to the North Pole Peary left New York in July 1908. He sailed in the Roosevelt to his winter camp on the north coast of Ellesmere Island. From here the North Pole lay across 485 miles (780 km) of sea ice. The Roosevelt was frozen into the ice and gave the expedition a home for the winter. Peary left on February 22, 1909, for the

P eary claimed to be the first person at the North Pole. He is wearing the clothes he wore on the polar expedition.

Other Attempts at the North Pole

North Pole. He took six Americans, 17 Inuit, 19 sleds, and 133 dogs. Every few days a group of men and sleds was sent back to

In 1827 Parry sailed and sledded to 82° 45’N but he was still 500 miles (800 km) from the Pole. Sir George Nares led the British Arctic Expedition of 1875-76 which set a new record of 83° 20’N. Six years later this was broken by Adolphus Greely, an American, who reached 83° 24’N. A Norwegian called Fridtjof Nansen made an unusual expedition. He built a special ship, Fram , which could resist crushing by sea ice and set out in 1893. Nansen let his ship get frozen into the ice north of Siberia. Fram drifted across the Arctic Ocean for three years and broke free just north of Spitzbergen. During the drift, Nansen attempted to sled to the Pole, reaching 86° 14’N in 1895.

Roosevelt . When Peary was 155 miles (250 km)

from the Pole he sent back the last group.

P eary often had to help pull the sleds over rough ice.

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