Much more than a polar explorer, famed for crossing Greenland on skis, and for his attempt to reach the North Pole on board the famous ship Fram, Fridtjof Nansen was also a pioneer in many fields. He was a talented sportsman, scientist, statesman, and humanitarian, who was also awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 1922. His achievements put Norway on the international map, and his legacy endures to this day. Here are a few facts you might or might not know about this exceptional man.

- Nansen was an accomplished scientist – he obtained a PhD in zoology from the University of Oslo in 1888. The topic of his dissertation? A study of the central nervous system of lower invertebrates.

- He also excelled at ice-skating, skiing and ski jumping. He won the national cross-country skiing championship 12 times in a row.

- After reaching the Greenland ice sheet, which he would attempt to cross on skis, Nansen burnt his boats – failure was not an option. The moved turned out to be a good, if daring, one – his expedition was a resounding success, and brought him international fame.

- Nansen planned and designed the ship Fram for his expedition to the North Pole himself. The ship, incidentally, was named by his wife. It means ‘forward’ in Norwegian. The only way Nansen could possibly go!

- Nansen’s book Eskimo Life (1891), which he published upon returning from Greenland, and in which he describes his love for Greenland and its people, played an important part in increasing knowlege of Eskimo life and culture.

- His wife, singer Eva Sars, whom he married in 1889, died of pneumonia in 1907, leaving five children behind.

- Nansen was fond of poetry, and had an impressive knowledge of both Norwegian and foreign poets. Lord Byron was ‘the love of my youth’, he once said.

- Nansen used his fame as a political activist to support the ending of Norway’s union with Sweden in 1905. He was instrumental in persuading Prince Charles of Denmark to accept the throne of the newly independent Norway.

- Nansen was a talented draughtsman, and his ambition was once to become an artist. He even took lessons in drawing and water colouring. He used many of his sketches to illustrate his research. The thesis for his PhD included 113 diagrams – all drawn by Nansen himself.

- The Nansen Passport, which was issued by the League of Nations to some 450,000 stateless refugees after World War 1, was devised by Fridtjof Nansen in 1922.

- Nansen was Norway’s first ambassador to London (1906-1908)

- Nansen for many years championed the cause of Armenians, helping to repatriate 10,000 of them to Yerevan in Soviet Armenia, and resettle a further 40,000 in Syria and Lebanon. To this day Nansen is seen as a hero in Armenia, where many streets, schools and even a hospital have been named after him.

- Nansen died of heart failure on 13 May 1930, aged 68. He was given a state funeral a few days later, on 17 May – Norway’s National Day.

You will find a full biograhy of Fridtjof Nansen at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridtjof_Nansen