The Badass Explorers Who Made History Behind the Scenes at AMNH
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with the best damn museum company out there, Museum Hack, at one of my all-time favorites, The Museum of Natural History. Our fearless and quick-quipping navigator, Evan, delivered upon the company’s mission to regale us with a carefully curated selection of both highlights and un-highlights of the venerable institution. Among these were a dead owl hiding in plain sight and an intricately detailed replica of the Code of Hammurabi, obscured by shadows and plagued by a spell of inadequate lighting from long-since burnt-out bulbs, neglected in the corner. He taught us how to tell a dinosaur from prehistoric imposters, and genuine fossilized bone from a knockoff (aka a very precise and scientific cast).
But one of the most thrilling un-highlights for this museumophile was hearing some of the stories behind the artifacts. The conservationists and explorers that stared down charging elephant bulls, and punched leopards to death….from the inside (no, really, see photographic evidence below). This got me thinking, what other conservationists and explorers may have made Indiana Jones look lame, and had been hiding in plain sight at my beloved and oft-visited museum? Turns out yet again that truth is more thrilling than fiction.
Carl Akeley: The Deadly Conservationist
The first resident badass that Evan introduced us to was Carl Akeley, the namesake of the popular Hall of African Mammals at the museum. In addition to redefining the scientific approach to taxidermy, accurately portraying these animals in a more realistic way with molded muscles beneath the skin, in the late 1800’s he also brought exotic animals from the Olympic Peninsula and Horn of Africa home for American audiences to behold, often for the very first time.
He’s rumored to have, among many other death-defying feats, survived being charged by three rhinos at the same time, having his chest cavity crushed by an elephant, floated along through crocodile-infested waters using an animal carcass as a raft, in addition to the aforementioned fisticuffs with that unlucky leopard:

Robert Peary: The Rocky Retrieval
The second resident badass that Evan introduced us to, fell on the other end of the spectrum from terrestrial mammals. Robert Peary stumbled upon one of the largest meteorites ever found back in 1897 while traveling through Greenland in an attempt to find a route to the North Pole (a popular quest at the time, more to come on that in a bit). The indigenous Inuits in the area had been utilizing the meteorite to create iron tools for sometime, and it was deeply ingrained in their spiritual practices.
Peary renamed it Ahnighito, his daughter’s middle name, and began to formulate a plan to bring it back to the States for a sale that could fund his future expeditions. This was easier said than done with a weight of 34 tons, often crashing through boat decks and floors, alike. According to National Geographic, he would later claim in his book Northward Over the “Great Ice”:
“The inherent deviltry of inanimate objects was never more strikingly illustrated than in this monster. Had the matter been a subject of study for weeks by the celestial forge-master, I doubt that any shape could have been devised that would have been any more completely ill suited for handling in any way, either rolling or sliding or lifting.”

Alexandra David-Neel: The Persistent Spiritualist
During the second half of the 19th century, Alexandra David-Neel refused to let anything hold back her quest for enlightenment, least of all the plight of womanhood. She embarked to increase her understanding of Buddhist teachings and immersion in eastern spirituality. She’s believed to be the first woman to have been granted an audience with the Dalai Lama. She soon after learned Tibetan, taking his advice, and later adopted a young monk named Lama Aphur Yongden, who would be her exploration partner and all-around partner in crime.
She racked up two failed attempts to enter the Forbidden City of Lhasa, before ultimately succeeding during a time that foreigners were banned from entry. She expanded knowledge and understanding of the East, authoring over 30 books on philosophy, religion and spirituality in the area. Her mission, very much in line with that of AMNH, was to expand the realms of understanding, so it’s no wonder the museum continues to feature her work, including a previous exhibition of her life, Forbidden Journey: The Life of Alexandra David-Neel.

Fridtjof Nansen: The Indomitable Snowman
Being a badass runs through Fridtjof Nansen’s frozen veins. As a teenager in Norway, he would abscond to the wilderness in his backyard with only his dog and a knife for periods of time to test and build his endurance to the cold and elements. Somehow his discipline paid off, and he began exploring Greenland, becoming the first to cross the country’s interior in the most Norwegian way possible: on cross-country skis.
Ironically, this cold spell only further fueled his arctic fever and he soon set his sights on conquering the North Pole. Once again taking the road less traveled, he was determined to build a hardy vessel, The Fram, and intentionally set the boat in ice, so that it could drift closer to the pole, a very bold approach at the time. When that didn’t end up panning out, he remained steadfast with his eyes on the prize and convinced a companion to ditch the ship and make a run for the pole via dogsled. Although he was still ultimately unsuccessful in reaching the North Pole on that expedition, he did make the most northern progress to date, and his engineering feat, The Fram would live eventually deliver the first explorers to another pole when Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole in 1911.
Amongst other stories of fighting off polar bears and walruses, he was a talented Zoologist, focusing his studies on the nervous systems of lower invertebrates, competed in ski jumping competitions, and formed the foundational science behind neuron theory. Nansen also boasted a pretty chic mustache and style that would put even the most artisanal, beard wax connoisseur to shame.

Looking to discover more historical badasses?
If you haven’t had the good fortune to attend a Museum Hack tour, what are you waiting for? They’re great for museum nerds and newbies, alike. I was amazed at how much I was able to learn at an institution where I have logged countless hours. They have plenty of expertly-curated tours at some of the best museums in the city, as well as in cities across the country. So check them out at home, and on your next trip!
