1-152-426 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), Norwegian Arctic explorer, scientist and diplomat, 1915. Nansen made the first crossing of Greenland in 1888. He is best known in exploration terms for his three year expedition (1893-1896) aboard the Fram, which enabled Nansen and his crew to get closer to the North Pole than anyone before them. After World War I, Nansen worked tirelessly for humanitarian causes including the repatriation of prisoners of war and aiding refugees. He was awarded the Nobel prize for peace in 1920.