This question provoked howls of protest from two of my contestants at pub quiz - Who was the naval commander that became the first man to reach the North Pole in March 1909? - The answer I was prepared to accept was Robert Peary, however, two 'expert' quiz players less-than-kindly informed me that Peary did not reach the North Pole, he merely flew over it. I said that I thought he was wrong, as this contradicts all the articles I've read about Peary's travels. In this case, was my question wrong, or was my contestant?

Fosse4

My 'Book of Days' gives the date as April 6th (with Mathew Henson and 4 Eskimo's)- BUT - Guiness Book of Records accept as the earliest UNDISPUTED CLAIM to be 19th April 1968 by Ralph Plaisted (Verified by US Weather aircraft). They dispute the mileage claimed by the Peary expedition for their journey from the camp called Camp Jessup to the Pole as being unatainable. But one thing is certain he wasn't the first to fly over the pole on that date -(*the nearest record I can find is 1912 - first non stop flight Paris to London by Henri Seimet) I think the pole was a little further than that from any landing strip at the time. Apr 02 03, 7:51 PM

Siskin

Oh,dear - You do get in some tangles, but according to three different sources you are correct! This is from the Hutchinson Encyclopaedia: Robert Edwin Peary (1856-1920) US polar explorer who, after several unsuccessful attempts, became the first person to reach the North Pole on 6th April 1909. All dates tie up in two other factual books. Apr 02 03, 8:56 PM

Jimmy

I would say that the generally accepted answer is Peary. There is, however, considerable dispute about whether he actually got there or falsified his records. Also the fact that the polar ice moves (unlike in the Antartic) means that accurately identifying exactly where the North Pole is without GPS is very difficult. In responce to the question that you asked which included the date Peary is the only possible answer apart from No-one. Your two self appointed 'experts' are definitely wrong since he certainly didn't fly over the pole - Belriot didn't fly across the Channel until later that year so the concept of flying over the pole in 1909 is laughable. Apr 03 03, 9:16 AM

Baloo55th

Baloo55th says: According to http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/day/04_23_2001.html Peary didn't get there - nor did the other 'first man to the pole'! Nor, apparently was Byrd. Haven't found who DID yet! Wed Apr 02 12:41:28 CST 2003 Looks like it was Amundsen - with a double! http://www.mnc.net/norway/notbyrd.html Lot of fakery and trickery and general howsyourfather all round before his attempt! Wed Apr 02 12:50:50 CST 2003 (Reposted as one entry - McG) Apr 10 03, 8:12 AM