The First Man to Climb Mt. Everest

On May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. Hillary later participated in expeditions to the South Pole and was among the first to reach the top of Mount Herschel. Hillary was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Sir Edmund Hillary, who had been cited as "New Zealand's most trusted individual," died on January 11, 2008, in Auckland.