The Arctic explorer whose achievement was hidden for decades
Cover photo: Matthew Henson in 1910. Library of Congress, public domain
On April 6, 1909, after years of grueling Arctic expeditions, an expedition reached the spot it recorded as the geographic North Pole, the top of the world. By his own account, the first person there was Matthew Alexander Henson.
Was Matthew Henson the first to reach the North Pole? By his own account, yes. On April 6, 1909, Henson, leading as the expedition's most skilled sledge driver, reached the spot Robert Peary declared the Pole about 45 minutes before Peary arrived. Whether the expedition reached the exact Pole is still debated.
Key facts
- Born: 1866 in Charles County, Maryland. He went to sea at 12.
- Partnership: met Robert Peary in 1887 and joined him on seven Arctic expeditions between 1891 and 1909.
- The final push: Peary, Henson and four Inuit men. Henson was in the lead.
- Recognition: the Explorers Club in 1937, a Congressional medal in 1944, reburial at Arlington National Cemetery in 1988, and National Geographic's Hubbard Medal in 2000.
For decades, history credited the achievement to Robert Peary, the white naval officer who led the expedition. Henson was relegated to a footnote, and it took nearly a century for the truth to be fully recognized.
The Making of an Explorer
Photo: Michael Jerrard / Unsplash
Matthew Henson was born in 1866 in Charles County, Maryland, just after the Civil War ended. Orphaned as a young child, he went to sea at 12 as a cabin boy on a merchant ship. The captain took an interest in him and taught him to read, write and plot a course at sea, skills that would prove invaluable.
By 18, Henson had traveled to China, Japan, Africa and the Black Sea. He spoke several languages and had more sailing experience than most men twice his age.
In 1887 he met Robert Peary in a Washington, D.C. store where Henson worked as a clerk. Peary was planning an expedition to Nicaragua and hired him as his personal assistant. The partnership lasted more than two decades and took them to the ends of the Earth.
Seven Attempts at the Pole
Photo: Annie Spratt / Unsplash
Between 1891 and 1909, Henson went with Peary on seven Arctic expeditions. Each was brutal: temperatures 50 below zero, ice breaking under their feet, supplies running dangerously low.
Henson was indispensable. He learned the language of the Inuit people who served as guides. He became an expert at building sledges, training dog teams and surviving conditions that killed other expedition members. The Inuit called him "Miy Paluk" with affection and respected him as an equal.
The Final Push
Photo: Peary expedition, April 1909. National Archives, public domain
The 1909 expedition set out with a large team that shrank as groups turned back. On the final push, only Peary, Henson and four Inuit men remained.
As the most skilled sledge driver, Henson was in the lead. By his own account, on April 6, 1909, he reached the spot Peary would declare the North Pole about 45 minutes before Peary caught up.
"I think I'm the first man to sit on top of the world," Henson later recalled telling Peary. (Source: Polar Impact Network)
A Legacy Denied, Then Restored
Photo: Roger Higgins, 1953, New York World-Telegram & Sun. Library of Congress, public domain
When they got home, Peary claimed sole credit for the discovery. As a Black man in 1909 America, Henson had no platform to challenge him. He spent the following decades as a clerk at the federal customs house in New York City, his achievement largely forgotten.
Recognition came slowly:
- 1937: Henson was admitted to the Explorers Club
- 1944: Congress awarded him a duplicate of the Peary Polar Expedition Medal
- 1988: His remains were reinterred at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors
- 2000: National Geographic posthumously awarded him its highest honor, the Hubbard Medal
Today, many historians credit Henson as likely the first person on that expedition to reach the spot they recorded as the Pole, though whether the expedition reached the exact Pole at all is still debated.
What Matthew Teaches Us
Achievement and recognition don't always arrive together, but the truth has a way of surfacing. Henson crossed the most hostile terrain on Earth and reached a goal people had chased for centuries.
Black excellence has always existed, even when it was deliberately hidden. Every time we travel somewhere we've been told we don't belong, we walk in his footsteps. If the polar regions call to you too, our Antarctica expedition goes to the other end of the Earth. And for more explorers, read about Harriet Tubman's journeys to freedom and Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space.
Matthew Henson reached the top of the world. Learn about Matthew and other Black history pioneers, then explore our upcoming trips and discover the places waiting for you.
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