Debunked Myths

The early 20th-century race to the North Pole features rival American explorers making competing claims amid dubious evidence and enduring mystery. Robert Peary announced he reached the pole on April 6, 1909, with Matthew Henson and Inuit guides. But his claim was immediately challenged by Frederick Cook, who said he'd arrived almost a year earlier.

The subsequent controversy revealed major problems with both accounts. Peary's navigation records were rudimentary, and his reported speeds on the final leg seem implausibly fast. Cook's evidence was even shakier and later largely discredited. Modern analysis suggests Peary likely fell 30-60 miles short of the actual pole.

The first verified, scientifically undisputed reaching of the North Pole came in 1926 by an aircraft team. The Peary-Cook controversy represents exploration's heroic age, where national pride and personal ambition often outpaced verifiable achievement, leaving one of geography's greatest prizes without a clear first claimant.