← All days in history On this day · 3 August

3 August 1958: A submarine reaches the North Pole under the ice

In 60 words

On 3 August 1958, the American nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus became the first vessel to reach the North Pole, travelling under the Arctic ice. Its crew of 116 crossed from the Pacific to the Atlantic beneath the ice cap, proving there was no land under the Pole.