The highest mountain in the world above sea level is Mount Everest in the Himalayas. It is 8,849m (29,030ft) high, although the depth of ice on the peak changes this a little.
It was first climbed in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and the Sherpa, Tensing Norgay. They planted the flags of Britain, Nepal, India and the U.N. on the top.
Among the eleven chosen climbers, Edmund Hillary was selected as a climber from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, though born a Sherpa, was recruited from his home in India. Also along for the trip was a filmmaker (Tom Stobart, 1914–1980) to document their progress and a writer (James Morris, later Jan Morris) for The Times, both were there in the hopes of documenting a successful climb to the summit; the 1953 film “The Conquest of Everest,” resulted from that. Very importantly, a physiologist rounded out the team.
After months of planning and organizing, the expedition began to climb. On their way up, the team established nine camps, some of which are still used by climbers today.
Out of all the climbers on the expedition, only four would get a chance to make an attempt to reach the summit. Hunt, the team leader, selected two teams of climbers. The first team consisted of Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans and the second team consisted of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.
The first team left on May 26, 1953 to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Although the two men made it up to about 300 feet shy of the summit, the highest any human had yet reached, they were forced to turn back after bad weather set in as well as a fall and problems with their oxygen tanks.
Credit : Thought Co.
Picture Credit : Google
