Today, I'm proud to introduce another new section to the Outdoor Weblog entitled, "This Week in Outdoor History". Every Thursday, I'll highlight outdoor events, discoveries, etc. that occurred this week. But since I'm starting this late in April, for this week, I'm posting all events from the first of April until the end of this week.

If you're interested in traveling to or making history at the North Pole, it seems April is the best month for it. Three major events involving the North Pole happened this month, including the first solo trip. Rounding out the month is Thor Heyerdahl's adventure across the Pacific Ocean (see 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time) and the first Earth Day (see Question of the Week: Earth Day).

April 5, 1971: Canadian Fran Phipps became the first woman to reach the North Pole.

April 6, 1909: Robert Peary and Matthew Henson became the first to reach the North Pole.

April 22, 1970: The first Earth Day was observed

April 28, 1947: Thor Heyerdahl and five others began their Pacific Ocean crossing on the raft, Kon-Tiki.

April 29, 1978: Japan's Naomi Uemura, traveling by sled dog, became the first person to reach the North Pole alone.

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