For over 23 years explorer Robert Peary was obsessed with becoming the first person to reach the North Pole. On one of his expeditions in 1909 Peary kept a handwritten diary that included the following entry on April 6th:
The Pole at Last! ! ! The prize of 3 centuries, my dream and ambition for 23 years. Mine at last. I cannot bring myself to realize it. It all seems so simple and common place, as Bartlett said “just like every day.”
It’s unfortunate that to this day much doubt has been cast on Peary’s claims of reaching the Pole. One widely believed theory is that he miscalculated the exact distance of the Pole. Regardless, his journal remains a remarkable and fascinating record.
