At 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing
Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers to reach the summit
of Mount Everest, which at 29,035 feet above sea level is the highest point
on earth. The two, part of a British expedition, made their final assault on
the summit after spending a fitful night at 27,900 feet. News of their
achievement broke around the world on June 2, the day of Queen Elizabeth
II’s coronation, and Britons hailed it as a good omen for their country’s
future.