Fridtjof Nansen

Hello! My name is Fridtjof Nansen. I was born in a beautiful country called Norway on October 10th, 1861. My home had lots of mountains and snow. When I was a little boy, I loved to be outside. I would put on my warm coat and my skis. Swoosh! I would ski through the snow and pretend I was on a big adventure.

When I grew up, my adventures became real! I wanted to see the coldest, snowiest places in the whole world. In the year 1888, I used my skis to cross a very big, icy island called Greenland. It was so cold, but it was so exciting! Then, in 1893, I sailed on a special, strong ship I helped make. The ship was named the Fram. We sailed as far north as we could go, trying to get to the North Pole through all the ice.

Exploring was so much fun, but I knew it was also important to be kind and help others. After a big war, many families did not have a home. I worked very hard to help them find safe places to live. I also helped make sure they had yummy food to eat. It made my heart feel happy to help people feel safe. For helping people, I was given a special award in 1922 called the Nobel Peace Prize.

I lived to be 68 years old. My life was full of big adventures and helping people. Today, people remember me as a brave explorer who skied across the ice and as a kind friend to people all over the world. I hope my story makes you want to have your own adventures and to always, always be kind.