Who Discovered the North Pole?

I just finished reading this novel (pretty sure Ian gave it to me, so thank you). In a nutshell, it's about the tumultuous rivalry between Lieutenant Peary and Dr. Cook to get to the North Pole at the beginning of the 20th century. It is also the story of a young man’s quest for his origins, from St. John’s, Newfoundland, to the bustling streets of New York, and the remotest regions of the Arctic.

A work of fiction, it's based on real events, namely the discovery of the North Pole. The novel sent me racing to Google to find out who really was the first white man to set foot on the pole (which, apparently doesn't exist on terra firma). Do you know the answer?