The Himalayan peak of Mount Everest rises an astonishing 29,029 feet above sea level—the highest point on Earth. The audacious task of reaching its summit was first attempted in 1921 and, for more than thirty years, unsuccessful attempts were common-place. It left a swath of defeated pioneers in its wake, leading many to believe that it was simply unscalable. That changed in 1953 when a thirty-three year old Englishman set his sights on doing the unthinkable. As the ninth British expedition launched, there […]
