On September 4,1909, American polar explorer Frederick A. Cook arrived in Copenhagen and received a triumphant welcome as the discoverer of the North Pole. Two days later, however, during the banquet in his honour a telegram arrived in which another Artic explorer, Robert E. Peary, claimed the Pole. Today, Cook’s claim is generally regarded as fraudulent. The arrival of the supposed conqueror of the Pole was a sensation and Dreyer, who was then working as a newspaperman, managed to get on board Cook’s ship before it entered Copenhagen harbour. He is briefly but clearly visible in this newsreel of the event.

Casper Tybjerg