It is the dreamland of most children in Europe and the Americas, and the mysterious home of the mythical Santa Claus, his devoted wife Mrs. Claus, the reindeer, and the many elves who make Christmas toys each year. In many ways, the North Pole is the first geographical location many kids learn, if only because children over the age of 3 can manage to tell any interested adult that Santa Claus lives there. In reality, of course, the North Pole proved to be as elusive for many brave explorers as jolly old Santa has been for children who wait up at night by the chimney.

The biggest problem, of course, is the North Pole’s unforgiving location, far from sunshine or any sort of natural warmth. Another problem, one that would only became obvious in the 20th century, was that it is located not on any piece of stable land but in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, usually covered by ever shifting ice floes. Finally, without modern technological advances, it was nearly impossible to tell when one has actually reached the planet’s northernmost spot.

The controversy truly began on September 1, 1909, when the New York Herald printed a headline that told readers, “The North Pole is Discovered by Doctor Frederick A. Cook.” By mid-1909, almost everyone in the polar establishment believed that Frederick Cook was dead, since his expedition had not been seen or heard of for a year.