<P> The Italian explorer Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi and Captain Umberto Cagni of the Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) sailed the converted whaler Stella Polare ("Pole Star") from Norway in 1899 . On 11 March 1900 Cagni led a party over the ice and reached latitude 86 ° 34' on 25 April, setting a new record by beating Nansen's result of 1895 by 35 to 40 km (22 to 25 mi). Cagni barely managed to return to the camp, remaining there until 23 June . On 16 August the Stella Polare left Rudolf Island heading south and the expedition returned to Norway . </P> <P> The US explorer Frederick Cook claimed to have reached the North Pole on 21 April 1908 with two Inuit men, Ahwelah and Etukishook, but he was unable to produce convincing proof and his claim is not widely accepted . </P> <P> The conquest of the North Pole was for many years credited to US Navy engineer Robert Peary, who claimed to have reached the Pole on 6 April 1909, accompanied by Matthew Henson and four Inuit men, Ootah, Seeglo, Egingwah, and Ooqueah . However, Peary's claim remains highly disputed and controversial . Those who accompanied Peary on the final stage of the journey were not trained in (Western) navigation, and thus could not independently confirm his navigational work, which some claim to have been particularly sloppy as he approached the Pole . </P> <P> The distances and speeds that Peary claimed to have achieved once the last support party turned back seem incredible to many people, almost three times that which he had accomplished up to that point . Peary's account of a journey to the Pole and back while traveling along the direct line--the only strategy that is consistent with the time constraints that he was facing--is contradicted by Henson's account of tortuous detours to avoid pressure ridges and open leads . </P>

Who went to the north pole in 1909