About
Sir Edmund Hillary, born on 20 July 1919 in Auckland and died on 11 January 2008 in the same city, was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. With Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, he was the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953, as part of the British expedition led by John Hunt. Following this ascent, he was knighted (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1958, he reached the South Pole by tractor during the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition. As a philanthropist, he founded the Himalayan Trust in 1960, which built schools, hospitals, and infrastructure for Sherpa communities in Nepal. He also served as New Zealand High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh, and Ambassador to Nepal (1985–1988).
Major works
- High Adventure (1955)autobiography
- Nothing Venture, Nothing Win (1975)autobiography
- From the Ocean to the Sky (1979)travelogue
- View from the Summit (1999)autobiography
Key milestones
- 1953First ascent of Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay on 29 May.
- 1958Reached the South Pole by tractor as part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
- 1960Founded the Himalayan Trust to aid Sherpa communities in Nepal.
Themes
MountaineeringExplorationPhilanthropyAdventurePublic service
Sources: nzhistory.govt.nz · teara.govt.nz · britannica.com