The North Pole Facts
Things to See in The North Pole
The North Pole History
BackgroundThe National Geographic Society in Washington D.C. as well as historians at major universities around the globe characterize the exploration of the North Pole as a conquest of one of the great frontiers in the world. Explorers such as Fridtjof Nansen, Robert Peary, Richard Byrd, Roald Amundsen were among the early so called "conquerors" of the Great White North. Modern times saw the North Pole as a "battleground" for the Cold War powers of the United States and the Soviet Union, with each using the frigid waters of the Arctic Ocean as a testing ground for nuclear submarines and other military equipment in a cat-and-mouse game of one-upping each other. Even more recently, peaceful expeditions were led by the famous Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who visited the North Pole as part of his three-year Transglobe Expedition from 1979 to 1982, and Will Steger who was the first since Admiral Peary in 1909 to reach the pole via dogsled without resupply. Even British endurance swimmer completed bitterly cold 1km swim at the North Pole in July 2007, in order to highlight the effects of climate change.
The Real Story
However, most of the history books omit one of the most well-known, yet little studied communities in the entire world: Santa's Village and Workshop at the North Pole. The REAL history of the North Pole reads like many other colonized nations subject to 18th and 19th century imperialism. Upon Mr. and Ms. Claus' arrival to the Northern Pole, the local population of reindeer, elves and snow-people were annexed to make groups of small but highly efficient 'Champions of Christmas'. Reindeer, already domesticated by snow-people, were trained to be highly-skilled sleigh drivers, while elves were introduced to the Claus' industrialized workshop labor force. Snowmen and Snowwomen, although highly intelligent, weren't as easily utilized and now live on the outskirts of town, selling damaged and knock-off ornaments and snow-globes and running local convenience stores.
The Saga Continues
Although there was some protest at first, the goodly-nature of the Clauses and their willingness to profit-share instead of strictly exploit the local population allowed the region to flourish and churn out products for the millions upon millions of kids and adults alike that give and receive gifts during the holiday season. The popularity of the North Pole has become so great, that Hollwyood has gotten in on the act and produced several documentaries over the last 50 years that cover the stories of these Heroes of the Northern Pole, most notably "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman."
Further Holiday Viewing for Historic Context:
Meet Me In St. Louis: (1944) Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien; It's A Wonderful Life: (1946) James Stewart, Donna Reed; The Grinch Who Stole Christmas: (1966, animated) Chuck Jones, Ben Washam (directed); A Christmas Story: (1983) Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin; Scrooged: (1988) Bill Murray, Karen Allen; National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo; The Nightmare Before Christmas: (1993) Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara; Bad Santa: (2003) Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox; Elf: (2003) Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel
