First Ascent of Mount Everest

Date: May 29, 1953 • Location: London, United Kingdom

The mountaineers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, he and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, which was led by John Hunt. From 1985 to 1988, he served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh and concurrently as Ambassador to Nepal.