360Hillary and Tenzing reach the summit of Everest
At about 11:30 on 29 May 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa mountaineer from Nepal, became the first people known to stand on the summit of Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain. They were part of a British expedition led by John Hunt. The news reached London on the day of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
Mount Everest, on the border of Nepal and China, rises 8,849 m above sea level. By 1953, several expeditions had tried and failed to reach the top, and some climbers had died.
That spring, a British expedition led by Colonel John Hunt set out from Kathmandu with hundreds of porters and Sherpa climbers, carrying oxygen sets, tents and supplies.
After a first summit pair turned back close to the top, Edmund Hillary, a beekeeper from New Zealand, and Tenzing Norgay, an experienced Sherpa climber, made their attempt. On 29 May, at about 11:30, they stood on the summit.
They stayed about 15 minutes. Hillary photographed Tenzing holding up an ice axe with flags, and Tenzing left small offerings in the snow.
The news reached London on 2 June 1953, the day of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. Hillary later spent much of his life building schools and clinics for Sherpa communities in Nepal.
- 1921
- The first British survey expedition to Everest
- March 1953
- The expedition sets out from Kathmandu
- 29 May 1953
- Hillary and Tenzing reach the summit
- 2 June 1953
- The news reaches London
Sources: Royal Geographical Society · Britannica · Himalayan Trust.