History of Everest: From Early Expeditions to First Summit

history of everest

Nepal is the only place that holds the highest peaks in the world. Among the world’s 14 highest peaks, 8 of them are in Nepal. And not to mention the history of Everest also lies in Nepal, which is the tallest mountain in the world, standing at the height of 8,840 mt. In Nepal, the Nepalese call it by the name of Sagarmatha, and as it is situated across the Tibetan border, in Tibet it goes by the name of Chomolungma. 

Early Documentation of the Everest

The history of Everest begins with its documentation by a British surveyor who goes by the name of Sir George Everest in 1841. Likewise, the history of Mt. Everest also took a significant step by another surveyor, who was only 1,200 ft. away and estimated the height at 30,200 ft., when it was calculated from 110 miles away. And according to the report, while doing this research, it is said that the examiner was only 1,200 ft. away, leading to it making a new record for the history of Mount Everest. 

Moreover, Everest was named after the first surveyor, George Everest, in 1865. And during this year, Everest was appointed as the fifteenth-highest peak. Mount Everest was prohibited for foreigners to enter until 1907, marking a new chapter in the history of Everest. The area was surveyed from the Dudh Kosi River to the Khumbu Glacier. And with the new openings, a dedicated Mt. Everest committee was established in 1920, which was known to be formed to coordinate and was a key organization in the history of Mount Everest, developing a proper plan to reach the summit. At this point in the history of Mount Everest, the expeditions to Everest had reached the North and South Poles, making Everest the next likely feat for society. 

Exploration of Mount Everest

With the opening for the submission of Everest, a lot of hikers and mountaineers started adventuring the paths to reach Everest, and during such, in 1921, the northern route up Everest was established by Guy Bullock and George Mallory after their hard ten weeks of exploring the northern and eastern faces of the mountains. Nonetheless, during the year 1922, three summits failed with the loss of 7 sherpas in an avalanche, which was the first death recorded in Mount Everest’s history, which was led by Mallory. And it’s shocking to find the words of Mallory when he was questioned by the reporters why he wanted to reach the summit, he replied, “Because it is there!” After this, the expansion of the summit of Mount Everest increased, and the curiosity began. 

Along with this, another British expedition set the highest record in the history of Everest, a legendary feat in Mount Everest history, for the next 29 years in the year of 1924, and the group was led by Lt. Colonel Edward Norton at 28,126 ft, approximately 8,570 meters high. Likewise, Mallory and Irvine also attempted to summit Mount Everest in the same year as Lt. Colonel on June 8th, however, they lost their lives during the process, which was recorded in Mount Everest history. Their dead body cannot be extracted in 1924. But Mallory’s body was found by an expedition in 1999, and the mystery of whether or not they reached the summit still prevails to this day. 

Aviation and a new route

In the year 1933, in April, the first flight took over from the Everest, and the images of this breathtaking history of Everest were worth their weight in gold. Even with the lead of the Himalayan Committee of the Alpine Club in 1947, there were still no successful summit attempts, leading to the disbanding of this group and the formation of the Royal Geographical Society. Furthermore, with the end of the Rana family, the Nepalese borders were opened to foreigners to explore the history of Everest, and with this, more new participants were allowed to attempt the summit from the South Face. 

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The final successful summit

In 1951, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand made his first failed attempt, but he was not someone to give up so easily, and it was not until 1953 that he climbed Everest, making his name known in the world. After the first sighting of Everest, the British Expedition team finally reached the summit of the mighty Mt. Everest after 112 years. 

FAQs 

1. After whose name was Everest named? 

Everest was named after George Everest in 1865. 

2. What year was the first documentation of Everest recorded? 

In the year 1841, the first documentation of Mount Everest’s history was recorded. 

3. By whom was the Northern route up Everest established? 

The Northern route up Everest was established by Guy Bullock and George Mallory. 

4. In which year did Mallory and Norton get lost? 

They lost their life in 1924. 

5. When did the first flight take over from the Everest? 

The first flight that took over from the Everest was in the year 1933, in April. 

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