Balto was a real Siberian husky that saved the town of Nome, Alaska, from an outbreak of diphtheria in 1925.
In 1925, the town of Nome was hit with an outbreak of diphtheria, a deadly and super contagious disease. The only antidote was 537 miles away in Anchorage, and thanks to bad weather and an abundance of snow the only way to get it was by sled.
While a relay of dog sleds passed the antidote off, the final leg was led by Balto, who heroically led his team through 54 miles of blizzards and temperatures of -40. When the team successfully made it to Anchorage to get the antidote, Balto was hailed a hero.
An animated movie was made about him in 1995: in it, Kevin Bacon voices Balto. He’s also immortalized by a statue in Central Park, and his taxidermied body is open to viewers at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
