In 1944 he and the other members of the expedition were awarded a Congressional Medal. In 1937, a 70-year-old Henson finally received the acknowledgment he deserved: The highly regarded Explorers Club in New York accepted him as an honorary member. He recorded his Arctic memoirs in 1912, in the book A Negro Explorer at the North Pole. Henson spent the next three decades working as a clerk in a New York federal customs house, but he never forgot his life as an explorer. The truth about Peary's and Henson's 1909 expedition still remains clouded. And while Peary was lauded by many for his achievement, he and his team faced wide skepticism, with Peary having to testify before Congress about allegedly reaching the North Pole due to a lack of verifiable proof. Triumphant when they returned, Peary received many accolades for his accomplishment, but - an unfortunate sign of the times - as an African American, Henson was largely overlooked. I can't make it there without him." On April 6, 1909, Peary, Henson, four Eskimos and 40 dogs (the trip had begun with 24 men, 19 sledges and 133 dogs) finally reached the North Pole - or at least they claimed to have. Peary knew that the mission's success depended on his trusty companion, stating at the time, "Henson must go all the way. The expedition continued into the following year, and while other team members turned back, Peary and the ever-loyal Henson trudged on. Of Henson, expedition member Donald Macmillan once noted, "With years of experience equal to that of Peary himself, he was indispensable." Henson proved an invaluable team member, building sledges and training others on their handling. The team's final attempt to reach the North Pole began in 1908.
However, by 1897 Henson's frequent absences were taking their toll on his marriage, and he and Eva divorced. Despite this perilous trip, the explorers returned to Greenland in 18, to collect three large meteorites they had found during their earlier quests, ultimately selling them to the American Museum of Natural History and using the proceeds to help fund their future expeditions. The two-year journey almost ended in tragedy, with Peary's team on the brink of starvation members of the team managed to survive by eating all but one of their sled dogs. Their next trip to Greenland came in 1893, this time with a goal of charting the entire ice cap. While there, Henson embraced the local Eskimo culture, learning the language and the natives' Arctic survival skills over the course of the next year. But shortly thereafter, Henson joined Peary again, for an expedition to Greenland. begins maneuvers off the Libyan coast.After returning from Nicaragua, Peary found Henson work in Philadelphia, and in April 1891 Henson married Eva Flint. President Richard Nixon claims that Vietnam peace has been reached in Paris and that the POWs would be home in 60 days. One crew member is killed as a result of the attack and the crew is held in captivity for eleven months before being released. No American planes are scrambled from South Korea and except through diplomatic efforts, no attempt is made to recover the ship or its crew. The USS Pueblo is attacked and seized by four North Korean torpedo boats, a N. Air Forces 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing flew the last F-51 Mustang mission of the war. First Marine Division elements attacked guerrilla concentrations in the vicinity of Andong. In less than a minute Captains Allen McGuire and William Slaughter each destroyed a MiG while First Lieutenant Jacob Kratt scored two kills, the first double MiG kill of the war. Air Forces 27th Fighter-Escort Wing engaged 30 MiG-15s in a dogfight over the skies of Sinuiju. The Communist Chinese forces begin their advance on Nanking. He eventually contributed to the war effort, though, flying 50 combat missions over the Pacific. Lindbergh, a national hero since his nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic, testifies before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Lend-Lease policy-and suggests that the United States negotiate a neutrality pact with Hitler. Confederate General John Bell Hood is officially removed as commander of the Army of Tennessee.ĭeclaring he did not care whether or not it was the rebellious band of Indians he had been searching for, Colonel Eugene Baker orders his men to attack a sleeping camp of peaceful Blackfeet along the Marias River in northern Montana.Ĭharles A.