First Man To Reach The North Pole Was Actually The Uncle Of One Iconic Celebrity
Against the icy backdrop of the Arctic, a team of determined explorers make their way through the hostile terrain. After five weeks of struggle, mercifully, they reach their destination. They’ve just become the first men to ever set foot upon the North Pole. More than a century later, one of the group’s descendants would also find fame — but in an entirely different way.
Mission to the North Pole
In March 1909 Matthew Henson and Robert Peary set out to make history, on a mission to conquer the wildest reaches of the Arctic. But while their achievement would go down in history, it’s been marred by controversy ever since. What happened on the ice that drove a wedge between these once great friends? And did they really reach the North Pole?
A Hollywood icon
For years after the expedition, Peary received all the praise for its success — while Henson faded into obscurity. Now, steps have been taken to secure him his place in history. And today, his great-great-grand niece is an icon in Hollywood, thousands of miles from the tundra where her ancestor made his name.
Matthew Henson
Born to a family of freed slaves in Nanjemoy, Maryland, in 1866 Henson lost both of his parents at a young age. Left orphaned, he decided to pursue a life of adventure, becoming a cabin boy on the ship Katie Hines at just 12 years old. On board, he developed a close bond with the ship’s captain, gaining an education under his tutelage.
Washington, D.C.
During his time on the Katie Hines, Henson traveled extensively, visiting destinations as far afield as China and North Africa. But when Captain Childs passed away, he returned to land, working as a clerk in Washington, D.C. And it was there he encountered the man who would change the course of his life for good.
