Matthew Alexander Henson (August 8, 1866 - March 9,1955) was a Black American explorer who was the first person to stand on the North Pole. Born in 1866, Henson began is travels as cabin boy on a tall sailing ship at the age of 12. He became the personal assistant to Captain Robert Peary to begin an exploration of Nicaragua in the hopes of finding a potential route for what ultimately became the Panama Canal. From 1891-1892 Henson served with Peary as navigator and craftsman through several expeditions to the Arctic regions of Greenland. He mastered a variety of skills including dog mushing and sled building. There he became fluent in the Inuit language and was known as “Matthew The Kind One” to the native people. After several failed attempts Henson and Peary reached the North Pole supported by four Inuits named Ooqueah, Ootah, Egingwah, and Seegloo on April 6, 1909. As he was in the lead sled it was Henson’s feet that first pressed the spot at the top of the world, where the team planted an American flag. Henson’s evolvement in the expedition were mostly ignored by the general public, giving all credit to Peary for the accomplishment. But in 1954 Henson was invited to the White House by President Dwight Eisenhower to receive a special commendation for his early work as an explorer on the behalf of the United States of America. Henson’s final resting place is at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. where a bronze plaque commemorates his achievements.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/the-legacy-of-arctic-explorer-matthew-henson
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Matthew Henson