20 Facts About Eivind Astrup

Eivind Astrup was awarded the Knight of the Order of St Olav in 1892.

Eivind Astrup is credited for introducing the combination of dog sleds and skis, which came to revolutionize polar expeditions.

Eivind Astrup was the son of merchant Harald Astrup and Emilie Johanne Smith, and brother of architect Henning Astrup, architect Thorvald Astrup, and wholesaler and politician, Sigurd Astrup.

In 1889 Eivind Astrup undertook a trade examination in Christiania and then travelled to Philadelphia for further study.

Eivind Astrup accompanied Peary on a sleigh ride from their winter quarters in Inglefield Gulf and over north-western Greenland ice to Navy Cliff at Independence Fjord.

Peary and Eivind Astrup were the first to explore and map the north-western areas of Greenland and were the first to come to the view that Greenland is an island.

Eivind Astrup wrote a series of newspaper articles and essays and gave well-attended lectures in many places in Eastern Norway.

The Royal Geographical Society in London honoured Eivind Astrup by awarding him the Murchison Award for mapping Melville Bay.

Eivind Astrup developed a plan for travelling to the North Pole in a balloon.

Eivind Astrup's photo taken on this trip on 14 September 1895 is the earliest preserved aerial photo taken in Norway.

Eivind Astrup had acquired five young Greenland Dogs, and trained them on the ice of Frognerkilen.

Eivind Astrup wrote in his book that during the second expedition he became very sick after eating stale pemmican.

Roald Amundsen noted in his diary that Frederick Cook had told him that Eivind Astrup could have suffered syphilis in Greenland.

Eivind Astrup had made plans for expeditions to both the Arctic and Antarctic.

Eivind Astrup was one of the first to suggest ballooning over the North Pole.

At Christmas 1895, Eivind Astrup travelled to Hjerkinn, and on 27 December he went alone on a ski trip to Dovre, ostensibly to meet some friends at Atna.

The news of Astrup's death led to national mourning in Norway, and a large crowd attended when Eivind Astrup was buried at Our Saviour's Cemetery in Oslo on 27 January 1896.

Eivind Astrup helped develop techniques for exploring the polar districts, such as carrying equipment on dog sleds, combined with skiing.

Eivind Astrup had learned skiing while growing up in Norway and he learned from the Inuit how to use sled dogs, as skiing was unknown to the Inuit.

Roald Amundsen learnt from Eivind Astrup's experience exploring Greenland and Amundsen used this experience for his successful expedition to the South Pole.