#OnThisDay in 1953: Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay are the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Sir Edmund describes what it was like: | BBC Archive

Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand is often credited as the first confirmed person to summit Everest, cementing his place in history. But his guide, Tenzing Norgay, who climbed beside him, has at times been overlooked. Norgay was a Sherpa. Sherpa is an ethnic group, a last name, and a job description. Often cast as “superhuman,” they are the porters and guides who risk their lives to help others reach the summit. “[Norgay] was always a very big motivation just to understand that, okay, maybe we c

Did two explorers reach the summit of Mt. Everest before Sir Edmund Hillary? #EverestsGreatestMystery will trace the 1924 trek of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine Sunday, October 11 at 9p. | Discovery