"My Attainment of the Pole" is a controversial account written by Frederick A. Cook, claiming to be the first person to reach the North Pole. Published in 1911, Cook details his alleged journey, providing descriptions of the harsh Arctic conditions, challenges faced, and the ultimate triumph of reaching the pole. However, Cook's claim faced skepticism and scrutiny from other explorers and scholars of the time, most notably Robert E. Peary, who also asserted to have reached the North Pole. The conflicting narratives and lack of concrete evidence have led to a historical debate over the legitimacy of Cook's achievement. Despite the controversy surrounding Cook's claim, "My Attainment of the Pole" remains an intriguing document, offering readers insight into the intense competition and disputes that characterized the race to the North Pole during the early 20th century.

Reproduction of the original: My Attainment of the Pole by Frederick A. Cook

Frederick Albert Cook (June 10, 1865 - August 5, 1940) was an American explorer, physician, and ethnographer, noted for his claim of having reached the North Pole on April 21, 1908. His expedition did discover Meighen Island, the only discovery of an island in the American Arctic by a United States expedition. In 1911 Cook published a memoir of his expedition, continuing to assert their success. His 1906 account of having reached the summit of Denali has also been discredited.

Excerpt from My Attainment of the Pole: Being the Record of the Expedition, That First Reached the Boreal Center, 1907 1909, With the Final Summary of the Polar Controversy In placing Dr. Cook on the Chautauqua platform as a lecturer, we have been compelled to study the statements issued for and against the rival polar claims with special reference to the facts bearing upon the present status of the Polar Controversy. Though the question has been argued during four years, we End that it is almost the unanimous opinion of arctic explorers today, that Dr. Cook reached the North Pole on April 21, 1909. With officer Peary's first announcement he chose to force a press campaign to deny Dr. Cook's success and to proclaim himself as the sole Polar Victor. Peary aimed to be retired as a Rear-Admiral on a pension of $6,000 per year. This ambition was granted; but the American Congress rejected his claim for priority by eliminating from the pension bill the words "Discovery of the Pole." The European geographical societies, forced under diplomatic pressure to honor Peary', have also refused him the title of "Discoverer." By' a final verdict of the American government and of the highest European authorities. Peary is therefore denied the assumption of being the discoverer of the Pole, though his claim as a re-discoverer is allowed. The evasive inscriptions on the Peary medals prove this Statement. Following the acute excitement of the first announcement, it seemed to be desirable to bring the question to a focus by submitting to some authoritative body for decision. Such an institution, however, did not exist. Previously, explorers had been rated by the slow process of historic digestion and assimilation of the facts offered, but it was thought that an academic examination would meet the demands. Officer Peary first submitted bus ease to a commission appointed by the National Geographical Society of Washington, D. C. This jury promptly said that in their "opinion" Peary reached the Pole on April 6, 1909; but a year later in congress the same men unwillingly admitted that in the Peary proofs there was no positive proof. Dr. Cook's data was sent to a commission appointed by the University of Copenhagen. The Danes reported that the material presented was incomplete and did not constitute positive proof. This verdict, however, did not carry the interpretation that the Pole had not been reached. The Danes have never said, as they have been quoted by the press, that Dr. Cook did not reach the Pole; quite to the contrary, the University of Copenhagen conferred the degree of Ph. D. and the Royal Danish Geographical Society gave a gold medal, both in recognition of the merits of the Polar effort. This early examination was based mostly upon the nautical calculations for position, and both verdicts when analyzed gave the version that in such observations there was no positive proof. The Washington jury ventured an opinion. The Danes refused to give an opinion, but showed their belief in Dr. Cook's success by conferring honorary degrees. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.