Sir Edmund Hillary (20 July 1919 – 11 January 2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer. On May 29, 1953 at the age of 33, he and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers known to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. This feat propelled Hillary into stardom and he instantly became an international hero across the globe. Continue reading for interesting Edmund Hillary facts.
Fact #1 - Sir Edmund Hillary was born on July 20, 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand.
Many people mistakenly think he was from England. Maybe it’s because of the “Sir” in front of his name? New Zealand at the time was a British Commonwealth.
Fact #2 - In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary became the first known climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
The expedition took over 2 months, but when they finally reached the summit on May 29, Hillary said “A few more whacks of the ice axe in the firm snow, and we stood on top.” They spent only 15 minutes on the summit before they had to turn back
Fact #3 - Sir Edmund Hillary was named one of TIME’s 20 most influential heroes of the 20th Century.
Included on the list were Muhammad Ali, Anne Frank, Mother Teresa and Charles Lindberg… not bad company if you ask me.
Fact #4 - Sir Edmund Hillary also reached the North Pole and South Pole on other expeditions, becoming the only man to stand on both poles and the summit of Mount Everest.
