article-imageArctic Firsts (designed by Michelle Enemark) (click to view larger)

Robert Peary and Frederick Cook battled it out to be first at the North Pole, but that wasn’t the end for intrepid expeditions to the Arctic where people keep pushing achievement to the limit. Here’s our chart to some of the greatest arctic firsts, from the first airship crossing to the first scuba divers to swim into the icy depths of the North Pole. 

Polar Week is January 27 - 31, 2014 at Atlas Obscura. Follow along on Twitter (hashtag #PolarWeek), Facebook, Tumblr, Google+, and Kinja.