Robert Peary, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Robert Peary

explorer from the United States

Date of Birth: 06-May-1856

Place of Birth: Cresson, Pennsylvania, United States

Date of Death: 20-Feb-1920

Profession: travel, military officer, explorer

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Taurus


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About Robert Peary

  • Robert Edwin Peary Sr.
  • (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and United States Navy officer who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
  • He is best known for claiming to have reached the geographic North Pole with his expedition on April 6, 1909. Peary was born in Cresson, Pennsylvania, but following his father's death at a young age, was raised in Portland, Maine.
  • He attended Bowdoin College, then joined the National Geodetic Survey as a draftsman.
  • Peary enlisted in the navy in 1881, as a civil engineer.
  • In 1885, he was made chief of surveying for the Nicaragua Canal (which was never built).
  • Peary visited the Arctic for the first time in 1886, making an unsuccessful attempt to cross Greenland by dogsled.
  • He returned in 1891 much better prepared, and by reaching Independence Fjord (in what is now known as Peary Land) proved conclusively that Greenland was an island.
  • He was one of the first Arctic explorers to study Inuit survival techniques. On his 1898–1902 expedition, Peary set a new "Farthest North" record by reaching Greenland's northernmost point, Cape Morris Jesup.
  • Peary made two further expeditions to the Arctic, in 1905–1906 and in 1908–1909.
  • During the latter, he claimed to have reached the North Pole.
  • Peary received a number of awards from geographical societies during his lifetime, and in 1911 received the Thanks of Congress and was promoted to rear admiral.
  • He served two terms as president of The Explorers Club and retired to Eagle Island. Peary's claim to have reached the North Pole was widely debated in contemporary newspapers (along with a competing claim made by Frederick Cook), but eventually won widespread acceptance.
  • In 1989, British explorer Wally Herbert concluded Peary did not reach the pole, although he may have been as close as 60 miles (97 km).
  • His conclusions have been widely accepted, although disputed by some authorities.

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