On this day in 1909, Robert E. Peary, Matthew A. Henson, and Inuits Ootah, Egingwah, Seegloo, and Ooqueah reached the North Pole.

Who Were Peary and Henson? Robert Peary, who had led many expeditions to the Pole and Greenland, chose Matthew Henson to be his assistant. Henson, an African-American, opened up exploration for his race. Peary met Henson when he was working in a store in Washington, D.C. Peary invited Henson to accompany him on his exploration of Nicaragua in 1888. They became partners in many historical explorations.

First Journey North. In 1898, Peary and Henson, with others, traveled on the ship The Windward to discover the North Pole. Though they never reached the Pole in their 4 year journey, they traveled farther north than anyone else ~ 390 miles south of the pole.

Try, Try Again. In 1905 they tried again on The USS Roosevelt, a ship specially designed to sail among masses of moving ice. Hardships forced the party back a mere 200 miles south of the pole, but they had set another record.

The Final Attempt. On July 6th, 1908, the USS Roosevelt again departed from New York. Peary and Henson knew this would be their final attempt on the Pole, success or not. Henson was 40 and Peary was 50. Both knew they were getting too old for exploring the Arctic. It was then, or never.

The Plan. Their plan: to sail to Cape Sheridan on the northern-most part of Ellesmere Island, Canada, then make the head for the Pole in relays.

Preparations. On September 5, 1908, the Roosevelt reached Cape Sheridan, where the team spent the dark winter night. Above the Arctic Circle, nights are six months long. They planned to head for the Pole when spring came, along with light. They spent their time on Cape Sheridan hunting musk-ox, deer and rabbits for food. Henson used his carpentry skills to build all the sledges and trained the less-experienced members of the group on handling the dogs.

Spring is Sprung. In February, Henson and some of the Inuits traveled by sledge to base camp at Cape Columbia. They built igloos and stored supplies before the rest of the group joined them.

Sledges North. On March 1, 1909, Henson pointed his sledge north and set off, breaking the trail across the icepack toward the pole.

Dangers of Arctic Exploration. The team faced all the dangers of the far northern climate: sub-freezing temperatures, storms, and starvation.

Perils of the Arctic Ocean. In addition they had to deal with the ice sheets covering the Arctic Ocean.

• Currents beneath the icepack cause constant changes on the surface.
  
  
• Small, steep mountains of ice ~ pressure ridges ~ push up, blocking the path.
  
  
• Sections of the pack are broken apart, leaving open channels of water, in which someone could freeze to death in minutes.