This Day in Black History: April 6, 1909 Matthew Henson was the first African-American to reach the North Pole (273 hits)

This Day in Black History: April 6, 1909
Matthew Henson was the first African-American to reach the North Pole on April 6, 1909, along with explorer Robert Peary.

Matthew Henson was the first African-American to reach the North Pole on April 6, 1909, along with explorer Robert Peary.

Peary hired Henson as his valet for his expeditions to the North, but eventually came to rely greatly on Henson's navigation skills, experience handling icy conditions, and valued his tenacity when so many other team members lost their lives to starvation or turned back South.

After multiple attempts to reach their goal, Henson, Peary, four Eskimos, and their team of 40 dogs reached the North Pole. While Peary received most of the glory after the expedition, Henson's accomplishments were overlook and he worked as a clerk in a New York federal customs house.

READMORE: This Day in Black History: April 6, 1909 Matthew Henson was the first African-American to reach the North Pole https://www.bet.com/article/wnfm5w/this-da...
Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Thursday, April 6th 2023 at 10:26AM
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