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.
On this day in 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. became the first men to walk on the moon.
Neil Alden Armstrong Buzz Aldrin (Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr.)
On this day in 1976, America’s Viking I robot spacecraft made a successful landing on Mars.
A Viking lander being tested in the Mojave Desert prior to launch.
On this day in 1944, Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler cheats death as a bomb planted in a briefcase goes off, but fails to kill him. Hitler (second from left) Shows Mussolini the Destroyed Barracks at "The Wolfschanze" shortly after the assassination attempt.
Mountaineer Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (July 20, 1919 – January 11, 2008)
Musician Carlos Santana is 71 years old today.
Guitarist Carlos Santana blended rock with Latin American music and fronted Santana. He won the Best Rock Album and the Album of the Year Grammys for Supernatural, two of the eight total Grammys he won in 2000.
John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy the morning of November 22, 1963.
On this day in 1765, Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act before Virginia‘s House of Burgesses.
Today, churchgoers still attend services at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Va., where Patrick Henry made his “Give me Liberty, or give me Death” speech.
Legendary vaudeville comedian, radio personality, and actor Bob Hope entertained military personnel in 57 USO tours between 1942 and 1988. He performed hundreds of acts with his special humor per year during the height of his career, hosted The Academy Awards fourteen times, and appeared in over 70 films and shorts.
At a young age, he began performing for voluntary donations on the Luna Park streetcar by singing and making jokes. In 1915 Bob Hope won an amateur talent contest for his Charlie Chaplin impersonation.
In 1997, the U.S. Congress declared Bob Hope the "first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces."
Comedian Bob Hope and his wife, Dolores are shown in their Palm Springs, Calif., home in May 1998.
America’s Viking I robot spacecraft made a successful landing on Mars on this day in 1976.
First image taken by Viking 1 form the surface of Mars.
An attempt by a group of German officials to assassinate Adolf Hitler failed on this day in 1944. The bomb exploded at Hitler’s Rastenburg headquarters. He was only wounded.
The conference room soon after the explosion that wounded Hitler.
Sir Edmund Percival "Ed" Hillary (July 20, 1919 – January 11, 2008)
Adventurer and philanthropist Sir Edmund Hillary became one of the first people to reach the top of Everest with the help of his guide, Tensing Norgay. He became a beekeeper during the summer so as to keep himself available to climb in the winter.
His adventures led to him being named one of the most influential people by Time Magazine of the 20th century.
Sir Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay.
Carlos Santana is 70 years old today.
Guitarist Carlos Santana blended rock with Latin American music and fronted Santana. He won the Best Rock Album Award and the Album of the Year Award for Supernatural in 2000. He began playing the guitar when he was eight and turned down an opportunity to attend Humbolt State University to pursue a career in music.
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