Matthew Henson

Matthew Henson

Matthew Alexander Henson was born in a cabin in Charles County, Maryland on August 8, 1866. When Matthew's mom died, Matthew's dad couldn't afford to take care of him, so Matthew went to live with his uncle. When Matthew was 13, his uncle told him he couldn't afford to take care of him. Matthew had to wash dishes at a restaurant. Matthew quit his job at the restaurant, and decided to be a sailor.

When Matt was 18, Captain Childs died. When Captain Childs died, Matt lost interest in ships and traveling but then Robert Peary asked Matt to be his servant on the trip to Nicaragua.

Matt's arms and legs ached as he pushed the sled over the snow. When Matt chopped the frozen snow, his fingers burned from the cold. Matt's nose felt numb, too. Matt had to eat frozen beef jerky and dried biscuits. Matt had to walk 485 miles to get home from the North Pole. When Matt came back from the North Pole, he worked on the Pennsylvania Railroad.

A group of African-Americans held a dinner for Matt. Matt wrote a book called A Negro Explorer at the North Pole. Matt got to join the New York Explorers Club. In 1945, the U.S. Navy honored Matt with a medal. President Dwight D. Eisenhower invited Matt to the White House in 1954.