Robert E. Perry is generally considered to be the first person to reach the North Pole. He achieved this historic feat on April 6, 1909, after a grueling dogsled journey over ice-covered terrain. Although Perry usually receives most of the credit for the discovery of the North Pole, he completed his journey in the company of Matthew Henson and four of the seven Eskimos who had originally set out on the journey. A few critics have suggested that Perry and his men never actually made it to the North Pole.