I knew about polar explorers such as Peary and Cook (and the dispute as to who reached the North Pole first) and the earlier tragedies associated with trying to find the Northwest Passage. I had no knowledge that polar explorers had attempted and actually reached the North Pole by hydrogen-filled dirgible.
Like many of these late 19th and early 20th century explorers, it is amazing that any survived. These are exciting stories of courageous men attempting the impossible and often succeeding.
There was also this guy. Tl;dr - Swedish "aeronaut" had a clever-dick idea for reaching the North Pole via balloon, which he insisted on trying even after it was clearly not working, and got himself and two other men killed.
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