Matthew Henson

thumb|Matthew Henson Matthew Alexander Henson (August 8, 1866 - March 9, 1955) was 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 said he was the first of their party to reach the North Pole. Quotes I think I'm the first person to sit on the top of the world. Brendle, Anna (January 10, 2003) "Profile: African-American North Pole Explorer Matthew Henson". National Geographic . Retrieved February 1, 2025. A Negro Explorer at the North Pole (1912) Henson, Matthew. A Negro Explorer at the North Pole. New York, Frederick A. Stokes company [1912]. The ages of the wild, misgiving mystery of the North Pole are over, today, and forever it stands under the folds of Old Glory. Another world's accomplishment was done and finished, and as in the past, from the beginning of history, wherever the world's work was done by a white man, he had been accompanied by a colored man. External links A Negro Explorer at the North Pole on Project Gutenberg Matthew Henson on Biography Category:Explorers from the United States Category:Non-fiction authors from the United States Category:African Americans Category:People from Maryland Category:1866 births Category:1955 deaths