Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (October 10, 1861 – May 13, 1930)
was a Norwegian explorer, scientist and diplomat. Nansen was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922 for his work as a League of Nations High Commissioner. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest personalities in the history of Norway.

Nansen initially started out as pioneer sports skier, and soon became interested in Arctic exploration. He led the first crossing of Greenland by ski, and achieved great success with his Arctic expedition aboard Fram. He later became noted as a zoologist and oceanographer, and was a pioneer of the neuron theory. He was also a distinguished diplomat, eventually becoming Commissioner of refugees for the League of Nations…Read more from the Wiki.

There’s a great recent article about Nansen in the January issue of  National Geographic;
Chasing Nansen’s ghost, by Peter Miller.