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HISTORY

Firsts
First to Reach the North Pole
This list features the first people to reputedly reach the North Pole.
RANK | PERSON | NATIONALITY | DATE |
1 | Ralph Plaisted (Leader); Gordon A. Bennett; R. M. "Bob" V. Roy; W. D. "Bill" K. Percey | United States | April 19, 1968 |
2 | Wally Herbert (Leader); Roger S. N. W. S. McKinnon; Richard B. Smith; Andrew L. Jones | United Kingdom | April 5, 1969 |
3 | Dmitry Shparo (Leader); Mikhail Shparo; Aexander Kuznetsov; Valery Shilov; Alexander Sokolov | Russia | May 31, 1979 |
References
Prologue: Pieces of History, 2022. Mystery of the Arctic ice: Who was first to the North Pole?. Available at: https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2022/04/06/mystery-of-the-arctic-ice-who-was-first-to-the-north-pole/ [Accessed 1 December 2025].
Chimu Adventures, 2025. North Pole controversy: Who was the first person to reach it?. Available at: https://www.chimuadventures.com/en/blog/north-pole-controversy-who-was-first-person-reach-it [Accessed 1 December 2025].
Adventure Journal, 2018. Ralph Plaisted and the least likely North Pole adventure crew. Available at: https://www.adventure-journal.com/2018/12/ralph-plaisted-and-the-least-likely-north-pole-adventure-crew/?srsltid=AfmBOoo-v6oKefb2DQQdzA3cLgc3ydUwy41k3gzToRkEGtw7KJo8OPCW [Accessed 1 December 2025].
History.com, (n.d.). Ralph Plaisted. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/ralph-plaisted [Accessed 1 December 2025].
Shparo, D., (n.d.). KP-25: A unique Arctic Expedition. Available at: http://www.shparo.com/kp-25/kp_25.htm [Accessed 1 December 2025].
Polar World, (n.d.). Sir Wally Herbert: A brief history. Available at: http://www.polarworld.co.uk/sirwally_history.htm [Accessed 1 December 2025].
DPL Reference, 2019. The Plaisted Expedition. Available at: https://dplreference.wordpress.com/2019/10/08/the-plaisted-expedition/ [Accessed 1 December 2025].
Wikipedia contributors, 2025. List of firsts at the Geographic North Pole. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_firsts_at_the_Geographic_North_Pole [Accessed 1 December 2025].

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