Matthew Henson was an African-American explorer who accompanied the famous American explorer Robert Peary on his 1909 expedition to Greenland and became the first African-American to reach the Geographic North Pole. Henson and Peary had been on several voyages together but it was the 1909 expedition that earned them worldwide fame and catapulted them to the international glory. Their claim of becoming the first people to reach the North Pole has been subject to dispute though it did not prevent them from earning international honors for their achievements. Born as the son of two freeborn black sharecroppers, Henson was orphaned at an early age and was placed in the care of relatives. He left home as a young boy and found work as a cabin boy on a ship. Over the next few years he was mentored by the ship’s captain who took him on several voyages and imbibed in him a love for exploration. Years later he met Robert Peary who told him of his exploration plans and appointed Henson as a valet on his surveying expedition to Nicaragua. Henson proved to be a skilled travelling aide, and impressed by his capabilities Peary made him an associate for his future explorations.