Climbing as part of a British expedition led by John Hunt, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepali Sherpa Tenzing Norgay pushed through the final icy ridge and stood atop the world's highest peak. They spent about 15 minutes at the summit, taking photographs and burying small offerings, before beginning the perilous descent. News reached London just in time for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.
The expedition had been meticulously planned, with support teams establishing a chain of camps up the Nepali side of the mountain after Nepal opened its borders to foreigners. Hillary, a beekeeper from Auckland, and Tenzing, a Sherpa who had already attempted Everest six times with earlier expeditions, were chosen as the final summit pair after another team turned back exhausted just short of the top.
They set out from their high camp at 27,900 feet before dawn, wearing oxygen sets that Hillary had modified himself. The final obstacle, a 40-foot rock step now called the Hillary Step, required a delicate climb up a crack between rock and ice. At 11:30 in the morning, they reached the summit. Hillary photographed Tenzing holding his ice axe with flags; there is no photo of Hillary himself at the top, since Tenzing had never used a camera before.
The news, carried by runner and radio, reached Britain on the morning of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, June 2, and was celebrated as a symbol of postwar national pride. Tenzing became a folk hero across South Asia. Neither man revealed for decades who technically stepped onto the summit first, considering the achievement a shared one.
Key people: Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay, John Hunt