Cook, Frederick Albert (1865-1940), an American explorer, claimed he discovered the North Pole in April 1908. His story was questioned when Robert E. Peary returned from a polar expedition in September 1909. Danish scientists investigated and found that Cook could not prove his claims. However, Cook had made a difficult expedition through the Canadian Arctic islands in 1908 and 1909. Cook’s claim that he reached the summit of Denali, in Alaska, also was disputed. Cook was born on June 10, 1865, in Hortonville, New York. He died on Aug. 5, 1940.
