Today is the birthday of Matthew Henson, an African-American explorer who accompanied Robert Peary on seven voyages to the Arctic over a period of nearly 23 years. They spent a total of 18 years on expeditions together. He is best known for his participation in the 1908–1909 expedition that claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole on April 6, 1909.
Henson was born in Nanjemoy, Maryland, to sharecropper parents who were free Black Americans before the Civil War. He spent most of his early life in Washington, D.C. At the age of 12, the youth made his way to Baltimore, Maryland, a busy port. He went to sea as a cabin boy on the merchant ship Katie Hines, traveling to ports in China, Japan, Africa, and the Russian Arctic seas. The ship’s leader, Captain Childs, took Henson under his wing and taught him to read and write. He later worked as a salesclerk at a department store. One of his customers was Robert Peary. Learning of Henson’s sea experience, Peary recruited him as an aide for his planned voyage and surveying expedition to Nicaragua, with four other men. Peary supervised 45 engineers on the canal survey in Nicaragua. Impressed with Henson’s seamanship on that voyage, Peary recruited him as a colleague and he became “first man” in his expeditions.
Their first Arctic expedition together was in 1891–92. Henson served as a navigator and craftsman, and was known as Peary’s “first man”. Like Peary, he studied Inuit survival techniques. Henson traded with the Inuit and mastered the Inuit language. In 1908–09, Peary mounted his eighth attempt to reach the North Pole.
Peary selected Henson and four Inuit as part of the team of six men who would make the final run to the Pole. Before the goal was reached, Peary could no longer continue on foot and rode in a dog sled. Various accounts say he was ill, was exhausted, or had frozen toes. He sent Henson ahead as a scout.
In a newspaper interview, Henson later said:
‘I was in the lead that had overshot the mark a couple of miles. We went back then and I could see that my footprints were the first at the spot.’ Henson proceeded to plant the American flag.
Matthew Henson in arctic gear
This is very strong paint!
A tuter…
Today is the birthday, in 1950, of American rock drummer Liberty DeVitto, best known for his work as a drummer for Billy Joel’s recording and touring band as well as Carly Simon, Phoebe Snow, Karen Carpenter, Stevie Nicks, Rick Wakeman, Bob James and Meat Loaf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g
Comments