Gunnar Kaasen, shown with his dog Balto.
Balto is, essentially, the reason the Iditarod race exists today. In 1925, the Siberian husky led a team of canines on the famed “serum run,” transporting diphtheria antitoxin 674 miles across Alaska in time to save the city of Nome from an epidemic. Balto soon earned celebrity status, and less than a year after the trek, a statue of the pooch was erected in New York City’s Central Park. The modern Iditarod began in 1973 to commemorate Balto’s journey, and in 1995, an animated movie called Balto was released. Fun fact: in the film, Balto is voiced by Kevin Bacon.