Robert Edwin Peary (1856-1920) Matthew Henson (1866-1955)

Para 1 - Robert Peary and Matthew Henson opened up the gateway to the North Pole. In 1909 they became the first people to make it to the North Pole. Robert Peary, who led many expeditions to the Pole and Greenland, chose Matthew Henson to be his assistant. Henson, an African-American, also opened up exploration for his race. Peary was born on May 6, 1856 in Cresson, Pennsylvania. He entered the U.S. Navy in 1881 and was there until he retired.

Para 2 - Henson was born on August 8, 1866 in Charles County, Maryland. He was orphaned at the age of 12. He ran away as a cabin boy on the ship Katie Hines.

Para 3 -Henson met Peary while working in a store in Washington D.C. Peary invited Henson to accompany him on his exploration of Nicaragua in 1888. From that point on they would be partners in many historical explorations.

Para 4 - One of their first expeditions was when they traveled to the interior of Greenland in 1886. Peary led an expedition in 1891 to Northern Greenland. On this trip Peary proved that Greenland was an island. Through these expeditions Henson was his personal assistant and dog driver.

Para 5 - In 1898 the two, along with others, traveled on the ship The Windward to discover the North Pole. After four years they did not reach the pole. The expedition traveled farther north than anyone had reached in the American Arctic, 390 miles south of the pole.

Para 6 - In 1905 they tried again on The Roosevelt, a ship designed to sail among masses of moving ice. Hardships forced the party to go back after coming within 200 miles south of the pole, another record.

Para 7 - In 1908 Peary and Henson set out over ice from Ellesmere Island. On April 6, 1909 they finally reached the North Pole. The first people ever to set foot on the North Pole that day were Robert Peary and Matthew Henson, who were accompanied by four Eskimos. It is said that Peary had to rest three miles from the pole making Henson the first American to reach the North Pole.

Para 8 - Trips to the North and South Pole have been done pretty often in recent times. There's even a whole command base near the South Pole. Robert Peary helped to open up the world to the coldest places on Earth while Matthew Henson became the first African-American to reach the North Pole.

Para 9 - Robert Peary retired from the Navy in 1911 with the rank of rear admiral. He had three books published about his explorations. Robert Peary died on February 20, 1920 in Washington D.C.