CANADIAN EXPLORER CLAIMS PEARY DID NOT 'ACTUALLY' DISCOVER THE NORTH POLE
Montreal, Quebec (JFK+50) Captain J. Bernier*, Canadian Arctic explorer, has asserted that Rear Admiral Robert Peary "did not actually discover the North Pole."
Capt. Bernier claims that in April 1909, Adm. Peary "could not accurately have ascertained his position (because) the maximum height of the sun was only 5 degrees above the horizon."
As further proof, the Captain says Peary received a medal from the Royal Geographical Society of London for "his work in the Arctic," not for the discovery of the North Pole.
Capt. Bernier's assertion was quoted on April 25, 1925 in a Montreal newspaper and reported by the Associated Press on April 26, 1925.
JFK+50 NOTE
My research for an answer to the question 'Who discovered the North Pole?' shows that while Adm. Peary has long been credited with that achievement, "it is now (2025) considered unlikely that he actually reached the pole."
*Capt. Joseph Elzear Bernier (1852-1934) was born in L'Islet, Canada & became a mariner who led expeditions into the Canadian Arctic. JEB won the RGS Back Award in 1925.
SOURCE
"Denies Peary Found North Pole In 1909," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., April 26, 1925, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
