Peary, Robert Edwin (1856-1920)

Wearing his Arctic furs, US explorer Robert Edwin Peary stands proudly on the deck of his ship, the Roosevelt. He was proud of the ship because it had been built to his own specifications, largely financed by the Peary Arctic Club of New York, USA. The first expedition on which he used it, in 1905, was unsuccessful.

US polar explorer who, after several unsuccessful attempts, became the first person to reach the North Pole on 6 April 1909. In 1988 an astronomer claimed Peary's measurements were incorrect.

One of his companions on an 1891 voyage was Frederick A Cook who, in 1909, claimed he had reached the North Pole before Peary. Although Cook's claim is generally discredited, it continues to cast a shadow over Peary's achievement.

He sailed to Cape Sheridan in the Roosevelt with his aide Matthew Henson, and they then made a sledge journey to the Pole.