The mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist Sir Edmund Percival Hillary was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 20th July 1919. After struggling at school, he became interested in climbing during a school trip to Mount Ruapehu when he was 16 years old. He completed his first major climb 4 years later, reaching the summit of Mount Olivier in the Southern Alps.
In 1953, when he was 33, he climbed Everest with Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. They were the first people to reach its summit.
During the Second World War, Hillary served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator. In 1951, he went on reconnaissance mission to Everest. In 1952, he attempted to climb Cho Oyu (a mountain 20km west of Everest), but was unsuccessful. After reaching Everest's summit in 1953, his next major achievement was reaching the South Pole in 1958. He was part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which was the first overland crossing of Antarctica. Nobody managed to repeat this accomplishment until 1981, when Ranulph Fiennes led the Transglobe. In 1985, Hillary made it to the North Pole, giving him the honour of being the first human to reach both poles and the summit of Everest.
Subsequent to his successful Everest expedition, Hillary devoted much of his life to helping the Nepalese Sherpas. He founded the Himalayan Trust - an organisation which constructed many schools and hospitals across this Nepalese region. He was named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Time Magazine in 1999.
On 11 January 2008, Hillary died of heart failure in the city where he was born. He was 88 years old. Helen Clark (New Zealand's Prime Minister) said his death was a profound loss to the country. Flags were lowered to half-mast on all government and public buildings in New Zealand as well as at the Scott Base in Antarctica as a mark of respect to this great man.
In 1953, when he was 33, he climbed Everest with Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. They were the first people to reach its summit.
During the Second World War, Hillary served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator. In 1951, he went on reconnaissance mission to Everest. In 1952, he attempted to climb Cho Oyu (a mountain 20km west of Everest), but was unsuccessful. After reaching Everest's summit in 1953, his next major achievement was reaching the South Pole in 1958. He was part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition, which was the first overland crossing of Antarctica. Nobody managed to repeat this accomplishment until 1981, when Ranulph Fiennes led the Transglobe. In 1985, Hillary made it to the North Pole, giving him the honour of being the first human to reach both poles and the summit of Everest.
Subsequent to his successful Everest expedition, Hillary devoted much of his life to helping the Nepalese Sherpas. He founded the Himalayan Trust - an organisation which constructed many schools and hospitals across this Nepalese region. He was named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Time Magazine in 1999.
On 11 January 2008, Hillary died of heart failure in the city where he was born. He was 88 years old. Helen Clark (New Zealand's Prime Minister) said his death was a profound loss to the country. Flags were lowered to half-mast on all government and public buildings in New Zealand as well as at the Scott Base in Antarctica as a mark of respect to this great man.
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