Hillary's exploits as a member of the Everest reconnaissance expedition in
1951 drew the attention of Sir John Hunt, leader of an expedition trying
to make an assault on Everest. As the expedition reached the South Peak in
May, all but two climbers were forced to turn back due to exhaustion.
Hillary and Nepalese climber Tenzing Norgay were the only members who made
it to the summit 29,028 feet above sea level on May 29, 1953. The duo
spent only 15 minutes at the summit. Hillary took Tenzing's photos.
Hillary left a cross that he had been given as an offering to the peak.
Sir Edmund later recalled, "We did not know if it was humanly possible to
reach the top." Though the pair initially reported the ascent as one made
in unison, it was only after the Sherpa's death in 1986 that Sir Edmund
revealed that he had been about 10 feet ahead at the final ridge.
Photograph: Getty Images
Photo Caption: A file photograph of a young Edmund Hillary, and the peak he conquered in 1953.
Also read: A wedding on Mount Everest
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