100 years ago, Robert Peary 
was on his way south from the Arctic Sea, returning to the United States to claim the adulation of the world. Peary had become the first man to reach the North Pole. His expedition, the last of several attempts, was as interesting to people in that era as the Apollo missions were to people in the '60s.
Trouble is, Dr. Frederick A. Cook had recently declared that his expedition had reached the Big Nail a year before Peary. Peary was incensed, Cook stood his ground, and the controversy swirled for months. Scientific panels and public opinion chose Peary's story.
In the century since then, Peary is exulted while Cook has a bad reputation. But the question of who and when is alive, still debated among enthusiasts. The evidence both ways is very, very interesting. It's still a question of time—of history—before absolute, final proof one way or the other.
Meanwhile, the triumph is Peary's.
For what it's worth, I assume that the first man to the North Pole was likely Inuit. I mean, they've been there for centuries—it makes sense that someone would have trudged across the Pole, maybe lost, maybe on some hunt or rite of passage. Maybe the first Polar guy was Scandinavian (those guys are tough.) Could the first North Pole visitor have been a woman?
Personally, I think the first one to the place would be someone who lives there. But that's just my opinion....
Mr. Cook already had a history of taking credit for things he didn't do so I am not surprised that nobady believed him. I have read, however, that recent research has led to some doubts as to whether Peary ever reached the North Pole either.
Dave