September 1, 1909: Frederick Cook announces he was the first to reach the North Pole (on April 21, 1908) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Rather than admit defeat Dr. Frederick Cook chose to spend the rest of his life embroiled in one of exploration’s most outrageous frauds, one that is still contested. A website exists even today (The Dr.Frederick Cook Society), which continues to provide viewers with evidence that the good doctor had gone down in history as one of exploration’s greatest martyrs.
In the fall of 1906, Dr. Cook made the astounding claim that he and another man had finally succeeded in reaching the top of Mt. McKinley in less than a week! Cook even had photographic proof, a picture of blacksmith Ed Barrill standing on what he claimed to be the top of North America. Yet history would prove Cook to be a charlatan.
