September 6

Arctic Flash: "Stars and Stripes Nailed to the North Pole"

On this day in 1909, Robert Peary sent the message "Stars and Stripes Nailed to the North Pole" to announce to the world that his team had succeeded in being the first to reach the North Pole. Fellow expedition member Matthew Henson, an African American explorer, marked their achievement by planting a U.S. flag on the site.

Peary and Henson had spent over 18 years trying to reach the North Pole. It took them more than ten months to travel to the North Pole and return to tell their story.