Tenzing Norgay
c. 1914 – 9 May 1986
Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986) was a Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer who, with Edmund Hillary, made the first confirmed ascent of Mount Everest on 29 May 1953. He took part in numerous Everest expeditions from the 1930s onward, including the 1952 Swiss attempts with Raymond Lambert. He later served as the first Director of Field Training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling.
Lived at the same time
Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Tenzing Norgay.
- Alan Paton (1903–1988) Overlapped 72 years →
- Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002) Overlapped 72 years →
- Bette Davis (1908–1989) Overlapped 72 years →
- Bill Hewlett (1913–2001) Overlapped 72 years →
- Cahit Arf (1910–1997) Overlapped 72 years →
- Chien-Shiung Wu (1912–1997) Overlapped 72 years →
Life events
Tenzing Norgay was born to a Sherpa family; his exact birth date is unknown, and he later adopted 29 May as his birthday after the date of the Everest ascent.
As a young man Tenzing moved to Darjeeling, the hub for Himalayan expeditions, to find work as a high-altitude porter.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgTenzing was hired for the British 1935 Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition led by Eric Shipton, the first of his many Everest expeditions.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgTenzing married his first wife, Dawa Phuti, who died young in 1944; he later remarried twice.
On the Swiss expedition of spring 1952, Tenzing and Raymond Lambert climbed to about 8,595 metres on Everest's southeast ridge, the highest point then attained.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgFor his part in the Everest ascent, Tenzing received the George Medal from the United Kingdom, among many international honours.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAs part of the British expedition led by John Hunt, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the 8,849-metre summit of Mount Everest, the first confirmed ascent.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgWhen the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was founded in Darjeeling, Tenzing was appointed its first Director of Field Training, teaching generations of climbers.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgTenzing Norgay died of a cerebral haemorrhage in Darjeeling; his remains were cremated at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.
Source: en.wikipedia.org