Famed African-American explorer Matthew Henson was born in Charles County, Maryland, on August 8, 1866. Explorer Robert Edwin Peary hired Henson as his valet for expeditions. For over two decades, they explored the Arctic, and on April 6, 1909, Peary, Henson and the rest of their team made history, becoming the first people to reach the North Poleâor at least they claimed to have.
An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province or state. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia.
n. pl. auÂ·tonÂ·oÂ·mies. 1. The condition or quality of being autonomous; independence. 2. a. Self-government or the right of self-government; self-determination. b. Self-government with respect to local or internal affairs: granted autonomy to a national minority.