The North Pole Scandal
Dan Snow's History Hit
History Hit
4.7 • 13.7K Ratings
🗓️ 10 July 2023
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the autumn of 1909, the American explorer Frederick Cook arrived in Copenhagen, claiming to have become the first person to reach the North Pole. His dramatic return had been eagerly anticipated, but one young journalist was skeptical. Philip Gibbs contested Cook's version of events, calling him a fraud and starting a public relations war that captured the attention of the Western world.
So was Cook a charlatan, bent on fame and fortune? Or was Gibbs merely trying to stir up scandal and intrigue? Dan is joined by Richard Evans, author of The Explorer and the Journalist, to find out which of the two emerged from this scandal with their reputation intact.
Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Dougal Patmore.
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Transcript
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| 1:20.6 | Hi everybody, welcome to Dan Snow's history. |
| 1:23.2 | In the autumn of 1909, a lost polar explorer, Frederick Cook arrived dramatically back in |
| 1:32.3 | Copenhagen claiming that he'd become the first human to reach the North Pole. |
| 1:38.6 | The world's media went bonkers. |
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