About Eivind Astrup
Eivind Astrup (Norwegian: [ˈæ̂ɪvɪn ˈɑ̂strʉp]; 17 September 1871 – 27 December 1895) was a Norwegian explorer and writer. Astrup participated in Robert Peary's expedition to Greenland in 1891–92 and mapped northern Greenland. In the follow-up Greenland expedition by Peary during 1893–94 he explored and mapped Melville Bay on the north-west coast of Greenland. Among his works is Blandt Nordpolens Naboer from 1895 (English edition With Peary near the Pole, 1898). He was awarded the Knight of the Order of St. Olav in 1892. Astrup is credited for introducing the combination of dog sleds and skis, which came to revolutionize polar expeditions. == Life and work == Eivind Astrup was the son of merchant Harald Astrup (1831–1914) and Emilie Johanne Smith (1836–1915), and brother of architect Henning Astrup (1864–1896), architect Thorvald Astrup (1876–1940), and wholesaler and politician, Sigurd Astrup (1873–1949). In 1889 Astrup undertook a trade examination in Christiania (now Oslo, Norway) and then travelled to Philadelphia for further study. The adventurous youngster had dreamed about exploring in Africa, but after he saw a newspaper article stating that Robert Peary planned an expedition to northern Greenland, he contacted Peary and was given a place on the expedition.
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