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.

Richard Herd Jr.
(September 26, 1932 – May 26, 2020)

(CNN) – Richard Herd, a veteran character actor who appeared in dozens of
films and television series, has died. A representative for the actor told
CNN Herd died of cancer-related causes on Tuesday morning at his
home in Los Angeles. 

A first edition copy of “Dracula” signed by Bram Stoker.

The first copies of the classic vampire novel Dracula, by Irish writer Bram
Stoker, appeared in London bookshops.

A childhood invalid, Stoker grew up to become a football (soccer) star at
Trinity College, Dublin. After graduation, he got a job in civil service at
Dublin Castle, where he worked for the next 10 years while writing drama
reviews for the Dublin Mail on the side. In this way, Stoker met the well-
respected actor Sir Henry Irving, who hired him as his manager. Stoker
stayed in the post for most of the next three decades, writing Irving’s
voluminous correspondence for him and accompanying him on tours
in the United States. Over the years, Stoker began writing a number of
horror stories for magazines, and in 1890 he published his first novel,
The Snake’s Pass. Stoker would go on to publish 17 novels in all

Abraham "Bram" Stoker
(November 8, 1847 – April 20, 1912) 

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BOHANNON

A young Jay Leno (above) debuted as the new permanent
host of NBC’s "Tonight Show" on this day in 1992.

Billy Crystal as Jay Leno’s first guest on the ‘Tonight Show’.