Robert Edwin Peary, Sr
Robert Edwin Peary, Sr. (May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer who claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole with his expedition on April 6, 1909
Strangely, a week before, the New York Herald claimed that Frederick Cook, Peary’s former friend, had discovered the geographic North Pole in 1908. However, Cook had previously lied about another of his adventurous achievements – claiming to have reached the peak of Mount McKinley after stopping twelve miles short. Peary’s name went into the history books, with Cook as a footnote. Ironically, historians now believe neither man visited the North Pole. 80 years later, Peary’s claim too was debunked by British explorer Wally Herbert.
