Rear Admiral Edwin Peary, USN

Rear Admiral Edwin Peary, 18811909 First to reach North Pole. He joined the U. S. Navy in 1881 but was granted leaves of absence to pursue his Arctic expeditions. He explored Greenland by dog sled in 1886 and 1891, finding evidence that it was an island, and returned there in 1893 94, 1895, and 1896 to transport large meteorites to the U. S. After announcing his intention to reach the North Pole, he made several attempts between 1898 and 1905, sailing on a specially built ship and sledding to within 175 mi