<P> The Northwest Passage was not completely conquered by sea until 1906, when the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who had sailed just in time to escape creditors seeking to stop the expedition, completed a three - year voyage in the converted 47 - ton herring boat Gjøa . At the end of this trip, he walked into the city of Eagle, Alaska, and sent a telegram announcing his success . His route was not commercially practical; in addition to the time taken, some of the waterways were extremely shallow . </P> <P> Knud Rasmussen (1879 - 1933) led several Arctic expeditions . He grew up in Greenland speaking Inuktitut and Danish, and has been called the "father of Eskimology" and was the first European to cross the Northwest Passage via dog sled . Rasmussen and his friend Peter Freuchen participated in seven Thule Expeditions, named after Ultima Thule, and wrote numerous books on their Arctic experiences . </P> <P> On April 6, 1909, Robert Peary claimed to be the first person in recorded history to reach the North Pole (although whether he actually reached the Pole is disputed). He traveled with the aid of dogsleds and three separate support crews who turned back at successive intervals before reaching the Pole . Many modern explorers, including Olympic skiers using modern equipment, contend that Peary could not have reached the pole on foot in the time he claimed . </P> <P> A number of previous expeditions set out with the intention of reaching the North Pole but did not succeed; that of British naval officer William Edward Parry in 1827, the tragic American Polaris expedition under Charles Francis Hall in 1871, the ill - fated Jeannette Expedition commanded by US Navy Lt Cmdr George W. DeLong in 1879, and the Norwegian Fram Expedition of Fridtjof Nansen in 1895 . American Frederick Cook claimed to have reached the North Pole in 1908, but this has not been widely accepted . </P>

Who is widely believed to be the first person to have officially reached the north pole