List of firsts in the Geographic North Pole
Encyclopedia
This is a list of firsts in the Geographic North Pole.
- First to reach the Geographic North Pole (disputed): there are two claimants, Frederick CookFrederick CookFrederick Albert Cook was an American explorer and physician, noted for his claim of having reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908. This would have been a year before April 6, 1909, the date claimed by Robert Peary....
, accompanied by two Inuit men, Ahwelah and Etukishook, on April 21, 1908 and Robert Edwin Peary and his employee Matthew HensonMatthew HensonMatthew Alexander Henson was an African American explorer and associate of Robert Peary during various expeditions, the most famous being a 1909 expedition which it was discovered that he was the the first person to reach the Geographic North Pole.-Life:Henson was born on a farm in Nanjemoy,...
and four Inuit men Ootah, Seegloo, Egingway, and Ooqueah on April 9, 1909. Neither claim is widely accepted today. - First to fly over the North Pole (disputed): On May 9, 1926, Americans Richard E. Byrd and pilot Floyd BennettFloyd BennettFloyd Bennett was an American aviator who piloted Richard E. Byrd on his attempt to reach the North Pole in 1926.-Biography:...
claimed a successful flight over the North Pole in a Fokker F-VII Tri-motor called the Josephine Ford. Byrd took off from SpitsbergenSpitsbergenSpitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
and returned to the same airfield. His claim, widely accepted at first, has been credibly challenged since. - First to fly over the North Pole (accepted): On May 12, three days after the Byrd flight, Norwegian Roald AmundsenRoald AmundsenRoald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He led the first Antarctic expedition to reach the South Pole between 1910 and 1912 and he was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles. He is also known as the first to traverse the Northwest Passage....
, his American sponsor Lincoln EllsworthLincoln EllsworthLincoln Ellsworth was an arctic explorer from the United States.-Birth:He was born on May 12, 1880 to James Ellsworth and Eva Frances Butler in Chicago, Illinois...
and the Italian aeronautic engineer Umberto NobileUmberto NobileUmberto Nobile was an Italian aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships during the Golden Age of Aviation between the two World Wars...
flew over the Pole in the semi-rigid airshipSemi-rigid airshipSemi-rigid airships are airships with a partial framework. These often consist of a rigid, or occasionally, flexible, keel frame along the long axis under the aerodynamic hull envelope. The partial framework can also be located inside the hull...
Norge, designed and piloted by Nobile. The total crew was 16 men. The Norge began in SpitsbergenSpitsbergenSpitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
and flew to AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, making its conquest of the pole unquestionable. This is the first expedition of any kind that is universally agreed to have reached the North Pole. - First people to undisputedly reach it: Aleksandr Kuznetsov (Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) and others, landed by plane, April 23, 1948 - Lt. Col. Joseph O. FletcherJoseph O. FletcherJoseph Otis Fletcher was an American Air Force pilot and polar explorer.-Biography:Born outside of Ryegate, Montana, the family moved to Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Fletcher started studying at the University of Oklahoma and then continued his studies in meteorology at the MIT. After...
and Lt. William P. Benedict, who landed their plane on May 3, 1952 - First naval vessel to reach it: the . August 3, 1958
- First (confirmed) surface conquest (with skidoo): Ralph PlaistedRalph PlaistedRalph Plaisted and his three companions, Walt Pederson, Gerry Pitzl and Jean-Luc Bombardier, are regarded by most polar authorities to be the first to succeed in a surface traverse across the ice to the North Pole on 19 April 1968, making the first confirmed surface conquest of the Pole.Plaisted...
. April 19, 1968 - First to reach the North Pole by surface travel (with dogsled): team led by Sir Wally HerbertWally HerbertSir Walter William "Wally" Herbert was a British polar explorer, writer and artist. In 1969 he became the first man to walk undisputed to the North Pole, on the 60th anniversary of Robert Peary's famous, but disputed, expedition...
. 1968-69 - First confirmed expedition to reach the North Pole without resupply: Will StegerWill StegerWill Steger is a prominent spokesperson for the understanding and preservation of the Arctic and has led some of the most significant feats in the field of dogsled expeditions; such as the first confirmed dogsled journey to the North Pole in 1986, the 1,600-mile south-north traverse of Greenland...
International Polar Expedition. May 1, 1986. Team members were: Paul Schurke, Brent Boddy, Richard WeberRichard WeberRichard Weber is a Canadian Arctic and polar adventurer. From 1978 to 2006, he organized and lead more than 45 Arctic expeditions. Richard is the only person to have completed six full North Pole expeditions...
, Geoff Carroll, Ann BancroftAnn BancroftAnn Bancroft is an American author, teacher, and adventurer. She was the first woman to successfully finish a number of arduous expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic.-Biography:...
and a team of 21 dogs. Brent Boddy & Richard WeberRichard WeberRichard Weber is a Canadian Arctic and polar adventurer. From 1978 to 2006, he organized and lead more than 45 Arctic expeditions. Richard is the only person to have completed six full North Pole expeditions...
became the first Canadians to reach the North Pole on foot while Ann BancroftAnn BancroftAnn Bancroft is an American author, teacher, and adventurer. She was the first woman to successfully finish a number of arduous expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic.-Biography:...
became the first woman to trek to the Pole. - First surface crossing of the Arctic OceanArctic OceanThe Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
on skis: Polar Bridge expedition, 1988, the Soviet-Canadian transpolar ski expedition that crossed 1800 kilometres of Arctic Ocean from Northern SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
to Ellesmere Island National Park ReserveQuttinirpaaq National Park-See also:*List of National Parks of Canada*List of protected areas of Nunavut*Arctic Cordillera-External links:**...
in Canada, via the North Pole. First surface crossing of the Arctic Ocean on skis. Richard WeberRichard WeberRichard Weber is a Canadian Arctic and polar adventurer. From 1978 to 2006, he organized and lead more than 45 Arctic expeditions. Richard is the only person to have completed six full North Pole expeditions...
(Canadian team leader) became the first person to reach the North Pole from both sides of the Arctic Ocean. - First hot air balloon flight launched from the North Pole: Global Concern Expedition led by Richard WeberRichard WeberRichard Weber is a Canadian Arctic and polar adventurer. From 1978 to 2006, he organized and lead more than 45 Arctic expeditions. Richard is the only person to have completed six full North Pole expeditions...
. 1989 - First attempt to journey to the North Pole and return using only human resources: 1992 Weber Malakhov Expedition. Richard WeberRichard WeberRichard Weber is a Canadian Arctic and polar adventurer. From 1978 to 2006, he organized and lead more than 45 Arctic expeditions. Richard is the only person to have completed six full North Pole expeditions...
and Mikhail (Misha) Malakhov departed from Ward HuntWard Hunt Ice ShelfThe Ward Hunt Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf in the Arctic, located on the north coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. During the 20th century the Ellesmere Ice Shelf broke up into six separate shelves, the largest being Ward Hunt...
on March 13. Eighty-five days later, on June 14, they reached 89 degrees 39. With only 39 kilometers short of the Pole, they had to make the decision to turn back if they wanted to have any hope of returning to Ward Hunt. On June 21, due to the lack of ice, they were picked up by an airplane and brought back to safety. - First commercial North Pole expedition: Weber Malakhov North Pole Dash.1993 Richard WeberRichard WeberRichard Weber is a Canadian Arctic and polar adventurer. From 1978 to 2006, he organized and lead more than 45 Arctic expeditions. Richard is the only person to have completed six full North Pole expeditions...
and Dr. Mikhail (Misha) Malakhov pioneered the first commercial North Pole expedition. Today numerous companies take more than 100 people annually to the Pole. - First confirmed journey to the North Pole and return using only human resources: 1995 Weber Malakhov Expedition. Richard WeberRichard WeberRichard Weber is a Canadian Arctic and polar adventurer. From 1978 to 2006, he organized and lead more than 45 Arctic expeditions. Richard is the only person to have completed six full North Pole expeditions...
and Dr. Mikhail (Misha) Malakhov became the first to reach the North Pole and return to their starting point on land (Ward HuntWard Hunt Ice ShelfThe Ward Hunt Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf in the Arctic, located on the north coast of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. During the 20th century the Ellesmere Ice Shelf broke up into six separate shelves, the largest being Ward Hunt...
, Canada), with no outside help, no dogs, air planes, or re-supplies. They departed Ward Hunt on February 14 and reached the Pole eighty one days later, on May 12. On June 15, they were back at Ward Hunt establishing a record of 108 days for the longest unsupported polar journey. They are the only people to have reached the Pole four times. - First time that an all-women group has reached the pole from a Russian based departure: Women Quest 2001 guided by Josée Auclair. April 2001.
- First woman of Ukrainian descent to reach the North Pole: Moki Kokoris. April 18, 2003.
- First persons to reach the North Pole during the Arctic winter: Børge OuslandBørge OuslandBørge Ousland is a Norwegian polar explorer, photographer and writer. He made the first unassisted Antarctic solo crossing, finishing on 18 January 1997. He ventured to the South Pole on 8 December 2005...
and Mike HornMike HornMike Horn is a South-African born Swiss explorer and adventurer. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa he currently resides in Château d'Oex, Switzerland.Mike Horn became famous in 2000 after completing a solo journey around the equator without motor transport...
. March 23, 2006 - First reigning monarch to reach it: Albert II, Prince of MonacoAlbert II, Prince of MonacoAlbert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco is the head of the House of Grimaldi and the ruler of the Principality of Monaco. He is the son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and the American actress Grace Kelly...
. Easter Sunday, 16 April 2006 - First expedition to reach the North Pole on snowshoeSnowshoeA snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
s exclusively: April 26, 2006 North Pole Classic. Richard WeberRichard WeberRichard Weber is a Canadian Arctic and polar adventurer. From 1978 to 2006, he organized and lead more than 45 Arctic expeditions. Richard is the only person to have completed six full North Pole expeditions...
guided Conrad Dickinson to the North Pole with no re-supplies. This was Richard Weber's fifth full North Pole expedition. He has trekked to the North Pole more than anyone in history. - On 21 February 2007 HRH Prince Edward announced the first British Army Expedition the Geographic North Pole, to be led by Captain Andrew Cooney (the youngest person to walk to the South Pole) www.northpole08.com.
- First to dive to geographic North Pole sea bottom: Arktika 2007Arktika 2007Arktika 2007 was a 2007 expedition in which Russia performed the first ever crewed descent to the ocean bottom at the North Pole, as part of research related to the 2001 Russian territorial claim, one of many territorial claims in the Arctic, made possible, in part, because of Arctic shrinkage...
expedition on August 2, 2007, by two MIR submarines. Crew members were: Arthur Chilingarov, Anatoly SagalevichAnatoly SagalevichAnatoly Mikhailovich Sagalevich is a Russian explorer, who works at the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 1965....
and Vladimir GruzdevVladimir GruzdevVladimir Sergeyevich Gruzdev is a Russian politician, the governor of Tula Oblast., businessman and explorer.Vladimir Gruzdev was born in 1967 in Bolshevo, Moscow oblast, to a military officer and a teacher...
on MIR-1; Yevgeny Chernyaev, Mike McDowell and Frederik Paulsen on MIR-2. - First American morning news show to reach the North Pole: Today show reached by Matt LauerMatt LauerMatthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
- First South African and first African-born woman to reach Magnetic North Pole- Lee Swan, Manager at Deloitte South Africa.