Fridtjof Nansen

1861-1930

Norwegian explorer best known for deliberately freezing his ship into Arctic pack ice in an attempt to reach the North Pole.

Nansen also journeyed across Greenland and led an arctic voyage of discovery in the sealing vessel Viking. Nansen was appointed keeper of the Oslo Natural History Museum after this voyage and was later the first Norwegian ambassador to Britain. In1922 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his relief work in Russia following the revolution.