Robert Edwin Peary

Peary, Robert Edwin (1856–1920), U.S. Arctic explorer who discovered the North Pole. He entered the U.S. Navy in 1881 and first journeyed to the interior of Greenland in 1886. On leaves of absence from the Navy he led a series of exploratory expeditions to Greenland that culminated in his reaching the North Pole on Apr. 6, 1909. Peary's books, including The North Pole (1910) and Secrets of Polar Travel (1917), give an account of his extraordinary stamina and courage. In recent years his claim of reaching the North Pole has been challenged by some scholars.

See also: North Pole.