Mount Everest Climbing Timeline
The first successful ascent of the world’s tallest mountain was greeted with excitement beyond anyone’s expectations. To climb for the very first time to the top of the world’s highest mountain was an achievement that captured the human imagination. The fact that the news came through at dawn on the day of the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth just added to the thrill of the momentous occasion. Each year 150 climbers from all over the world ascending to the crown of the world Everest.
Tenzing Norgay Sherpa
Tenzing Norgay Sherpa received the George Medel after the Everest Success and was appointed director of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling. The King of Nepal presented him with the Order of the Star of Nepal and in 1959 the government of India awarded him the Padma Bhusan, the third-highest civilian award in India. He died aged 71 in 1986.
Edmund Hillary
Ed Hillary continued his life of adventure, climbing ten other Himalayan Peaks from 1956 to 1965. In 1958 he reached the South Pole on the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, the first person to reach the South Pole overland since Amundsen and Scott. Appointed New Zealand High Commissioner to India in 1985 when with astronaut Neil Armstrong he flew to the North Pole, becoming the first man to stand on all three of the earth’s poles. He was knighted in 1953 and received much other high honors. He founded the Himalayan Trust, building schools and hospitals in the remote Himalayas. He died aged 88 in 2008.
Timeline of Everest
1941: – Sir George Everest, Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843, records the location of Everest. The word Everest came from his Name in order to respect his contribution.
1852 AD: – The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India establishes that “peak Xv” is the world’s highest mountain.
1865 AD: – The world’s highest mountain is named after Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor General from 1830-1843.
1913 AD: – British reconnaissance party leaves Darjeeling to explore a route to Mount Everest from the Tibetan (China) side.
1921 AD: – Lead by George Mallory, the First British Everest Expedition discovers a route from the East Rongbuk Glacier to North Col. Expedition establishes Camp 6 at 27,200ft.
1922 AD: – Second British Everest Expedition, led by Brigadier General C.G. Bruce. Mallory, Norton, Somervell, Morehead reach 26,800 ft. Finch and Geoggrey Bruce reach 27,300 ft.
1924 AD: – Third British Expedition – Led by Lt Col Edward Norton. Somerville and Norton try on ascent without oxygen reaching 28,126 ft.
1938 AD: – Seventh British Expedition lead by Bill Tilman; accompanied by Eric Shipton & Frank Smythe. The North Col was reached from the west for the first time. And the team went on to over 8290m without supplemental oxygen.
1951 AD: – British Expedition, led by Eric Shipton, to the Nepalese side of the mountain. The route was established through the Khumbu Icefall to the Western Cwm.
1952: – Swiss make two expeditions to Everest from the South. Raymond Lambert and Tenzing Norgay reach the South Col, turning back at 28,199ft. Also, the Soviet Union also launched the expedition in the same year to attempt the summit from the Tibet side.
1953: – Tenth British Expedition lead by John Hunt. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reach the summit of Everest. They reached the summit at 11:30 a.m. local time on May 29, 1953. Both spend around 10 minutes at the summit. Hillary took some photographs without taking his oxygen set on that he was becoming rather clumsy-fingered and slow-moving.