Robert E. Peary (1856–1920)
Author of The North Pole
About the Author
Robert E. Peary, the American who discovered the North Pole, first became interested in Arctic exploration after a trip into the interior of Greenland in 1886. Later trips there funded by the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences proved that Greenland is an island and resulted in his account show more Northward over the Great Ice Northward over the Great Ice (1898). Nearest the Pole (1907) tells of his Arctic trip when the "farthest north" record was set about 200 miles from the North Pole. On April 6, 1909, Peary finally reached the North Pole after a voyage in the specially built ship Roosevelt and a long trek over ice via dog sled. He was accompanied by an African American and four Inuits. The North Pole, published in 1910, is his account of that final trip. He retired from the U.S. Navy in 1911 with the rank of rear admiral but again served his country during World War I. Dr. Frederick A. Cook, who had been ship's surgeon on one of Peary's earlier expeditions, claimed that he had discovered the North Pole earlier than Peary. However, Cook's claim was later proved false, and Congress, in 1911, formally recognized Peary as the discoverer of the North Pole. Peary's wife accompanied him on several trips, and his daughter was born in the Arctic - she is believed to be the first white child born north of the Arctic circle. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons (Originally from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Works by Robert E. Peary
Nearest the Pole 1 copy
Northward over the Great Ice 1 copy
Finding the North Pole by Cook and Peary (Publisher's Sample) — Contributor — 1 copy
Northward over the Great Ice 1 copy
The North Pole, Its Discovery in 1909 Under the Auspices of the Peary Arctic Club, Fully Illustrated (2011) 1 copy, 1 review
De Noordpool ontdekt 1 copy
Associated Works
The Ends of the Earth: An Anthology of the Finest Writing on the Arctic and the Antarctic (2007) — Contributor — 136 copies, 8 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Peary, Robert Edwin
- Birthdate
- 1856-05-06
- Date of death
- 1920-02-20
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Bowdoin College
- Occupations
- explorer
- Awards and honors
- Several ships of the United States Navy have been named Robert E. Peary; USS Peary (DD-226) 1920-1942, USS Robert E. Peary (DE-132) 1943-1966, USS Robert E. Peary (FF-1073) 1971-1995, USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE-5) 2007 (DD-226 ∙ DE-132 ∙ [1073] ∙ T-AKE-5)
Phi Beta Kappa - Relationships
- Peary, Josephine Diebitsch (wife)
Peary, Marie Ahnighito (daughter)
Stafford, Edward P. (grandson) - Short biography
- Explorer whose claim to have reached the North Pole before other Europeans is doubted by many modern scholars.
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Cresson, Pennsylvania, USA
- Place of death
- Washington, D.C., USA
- Burial location
- Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
The North Pole, Its Discovery in 1909 Under the Auspices of the Peary Arctic Club, Fully Illustrated by Robert E. Peary
This book was a fascinating look into the adventure to the North Pole. This is just a reading of his extensive journal. The interactions with the crew, and Eskimos were very interesting with both respect for their skills yet subtle treatment as an inferior race. The casualness which they talk about walking and even playing in -20 degree temps just made me feel cold.
Finding the North Pole: Dr. Cook's Own Story of His Discovery; The Story of Commander Peary's Discovery by Charles Morris
Finding the North Pole:
Dr. Cook's Own Story of His Discovery, April 21, 1908
The Story of Commander Peary's Discovery, April 6, 1909
--- Together With ---
The Marvelous Record of Former Arctic Expeditions
Edited by Charles Morris,
Member of the Geographical Society of Philadelphia
with Introduction by George W. Melville,
Rear Admiral U.S. Navy, Retired
The Survivor of Three Arctic Expeditions
Who Recovered the Records of the Jeannette Expedition, and also the Remains of DeLong and his show more Companions and was Given a Gold Medal by Congress for his Distinguished Services.
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Always interesting to compare contemporaneous narratives of well-known events with modern analyses that benefit from the perspective of some distance. show less
Dr. Cook's Own Story of His Discovery, April 21, 1908
The Story of Commander Peary's Discovery, April 6, 1909
--- Together With ---
The Marvelous Record of Former Arctic Expeditions
Edited by Charles Morris,
Member of the Geographical Society of Philadelphia
with Introduction by George W. Melville,
Rear Admiral U.S. Navy, Retired
The Survivor of Three Arctic Expeditions
Who Recovered the Records of the Jeannette Expedition, and also the Remains of DeLong and his show more Companions and was Given a Gold Medal by Congress for his Distinguished Services.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always interesting to compare contemporaneous narratives of well-known events with modern analyses that benefit from the perspective of some distance. show less
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 23
- Also by
- 5
- Members
- 178
- Popularity
- #120,888
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 2
- ISBNs
- 44
- Languages
- 1
