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Matthew Alexander Henson
 August 8, 1886 to March 9, 1955

 

The First Person to Reach the North Pole

 

Matthew Henson was born in Charles County Maryland August 6, 1866, to free African American parents.  At around the age 13, he began working on a ship based in Baltimore. While working there, the ship’s captain taught him to read, write and navigate. He left the job due to the racist treatment he received from many of the ship’s crew. He later worked as a store clerk in Washington, DC. and met Robert Peary who later hired him as a valet.

 

Henson and Peary were together on eight arctic expeditions over 22 years. On April 6, 1909, Matthew Henson and four Inuit men, Ookeah, Oatah, Egingwah and Seeglow, arrived at the North Pole, some 45 minutes ahead of Peary.  In a National Geographic article, Profile: African-American North Pole Explorer Matthew Henson by Anna Brendle, dated January 15, 2003, Ms. Brendle reported that Henson greeted Peary and stated, “I think I’m the first man on top of the world.”  She also reported that Peary became angry and would not speak to Henson afterwards for a period a period time.

 

Matthew Henson died in 1955 and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City. In 1968, his wife, Lucy Ross was laid to rest in the Woodlawn close to her husband.  Both bodies were reinterred in Arlington Cemetery in 1987, at the request of Dr. S. Allen Counter of Harvard University. Permission was granted by President Ronald Regan. They were reinterred near the graves of Robert Peary and his wife Josephine Deibitsch Peary.

 

In 2000, Matthew Alexander Henson was posthumously awarded National Geographic’s highest honor, the Hubbard Medal. His great niece, Audrey Mebane accepted the award on his behalf.

PICTURES: Top Row:  Matthew Henson.  Picture courtesy of the Library of Congress.  Second L: Matthew Henson's grave marker.  Second R: Matthew Henson's grave marker, back.  Third L:  Monument to Robert Peary.  Third R:  Close up of monument.  Bottom Row:   Memorials to Matthew Henson and Robert Peary.  In the background can be seen the memorial to the victims of 911.

INTERRED: Arlington National Cemetery  

SUBMITTED: May 1, 2010.  Colored pictures taken April 30, 2010.

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Barack H. Obama
 b. August 4, 1961
44th President of the United States Of America

On January 20, 2009, Barack H. Obama became the first African American President of the United States of America.  Also on January 20, 2009, Michelle Obama became the first African American First Lady of the United States of America. 

 

On October 9, 2009, President Barack Obama became the first and only African American President to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

PICTURES: L: President Barack Obama.  Courtesy of Creativecommons.org. 
R: President and First Lady Michelle Obama. Courtesy of Creativecommons.org.  
SUBMITTED: January 20, 2009. 
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 Pictures taken and submitted by Percy White unless otherwise indicated.
 
 
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