The Mount Everest Story In Photos (1953)

On May 28, 1953, Edmund Hillary told the rest of the expedition that never made it to the top of Everest, “We knocked the bastard off.”

 

1953:  New Zealand mountain climber, Edmund Hillary, with (Sherpa Tensing) Tenzing Norkay, in London after becoming the first men to climb the world's highest mountain, Mount Everest.  (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

1953: New Zealand mountain climber, Edmund Hillary, with (Sherpa Tensing) Tenzing Norkay, in London after becoming the first men to climb the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

 

For  a brief time, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay had stood on the top of the world’s highest peak. Hillary offered Tenzing his hand. Tenzing responded with a hug.

Colonel John Hunt, the leader of the expedition, wrote about why conquering Everest mattered:

“It is not sufficient to reply, ‘Because it is there’; the climbs are symbols of man’s conquest of himself and man’s smallness in relation to his environment.”

Since then, amputees, pensioners, a 13-year-old boy and even a woman have reached the summit.

But not everyone makes it. Everest is for serious mountaineers.

[imagebrowser id=5745 template=fancy]

 

Would you like to support Flashbak?

Please consider making a donation to our site. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop.