Since 2013, May 21 has been officially celebrated in Russia as Polar Explorer Day, established by Presidential Decree No. 502 of May 21, 2013, in recognition of the merits of people in this profession. Experts believe that the establishment of this date will increase the prestige of working in the Arctic and Antarctic and attract highly qualified personnel to work in polar regions. The date for this professional holiday was not chosen by chance – on May 21, 1937, the first scientific expedition of the polar drifting station "North Pole-1" ("SP-1") began its work. On May 21, 1937, the station began its work. Each new day at the North Pole brought researchers important results and discoveries (one of the first being the water depth under the ice of 4290 meters). "SP-1" operated on a drifting ice floe for 274 days, and during this time it drifted through the strait between Greenland and Spitsbergen into the Greenland Sea (covering a distance of 2050 km). However, the ice floe on which the station was located cracked several times under the influence of strong compressions, and it was decided to end the expedition. On February 19, 1938, the polar explorers were taken aboard the icebreakers "Taymyr" and "Murman." During the expedition's work, researchers collected unique scientific material for that time, which for the first time in history allowed for reliable data on the nature of the North Pole and the processes occurring in this area. "SP-1," being the world's first scientific drifting station, opened a new era in the exploration of the Arctic, and the results of its work entered the golden fund of world science. Interestingly, immediately after the establishment of the holiday date, experts began to argue about who can be considered a polar explorer. The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation believes that polar explorers are specialists who have spent many years in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as residents of the Far North, geologists, oceanologists, military personnel, and gas and oil extractors. The total number of Russian citizens who can be considered polar explorers is up to two million people. Although the holiday was officially established in 2013, it had been spontaneously celebrated for many years in the North and the Arctic. In some regions, it was celebrated in June, in others – in September, when the expedition season ended. Finally, Polar Explorer Day was recognized at the state level as a sign of recognition of the merits of specialists in this profession and all the people who live and work in the Arctic and Antarctic.