JAKARTA - Edmund Hillary, a climber from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay from Nepal have become the first explorers to reach the top of the world's highest mountain, Everest. Exactly 11:30 today, May 29, 68 years ago or in 1953.
The mountain which has a height of 8,848 meters or 29,029 feet above sea level is located on the border area between Nepal and Tibet. The Tibetans call this mountain Chomo Lungma which means Goddess of the Land.
Meanwhile, the British named the mountain after a 19th century surveyor, Sir George Everest. The terrain of Mount Everest is difficult to conquer. In addition to the very cold temperature, but also the oxygen levels are so low, the weather is unpredictable.
Citing History, efforts to conquer the summit of Everest have been carried out since 1921 by British explorers. By then they had walked 400 miles across the Tibetan plateau to the foot of the mountain.
However, a raging storm forced them to cancel the climb. However, one of the climbers, George Leigh Mallory managed to open a route that allows for climbing.
One year later, Mallory tried his luck again with George Finch and Geoffrey Bruce. They managed to reach an altitude of 27,000 feet. But catastrophe occurred, at least seven Sherpas (as guides to climb Mount Everest) died buried in an avalanche.
Then, in 1925, the third expedition from England continued. Climber Edward Norton managed to reach higher than the second climb of 28,128 feet without using artificial oxygen. Only 900 feet left to reach the highest land on Earth.
Four days later, Mallory and Andrew Irvine forced their way to the summit and never returned. Both died. In 1999, Mallory's partially intact body was found on Everest. Whether he or Irvine had reached the peak or not was still a mystery.
Britain returned to expeditions in 1950 and 1951, after World War II was over. The journey taken via the southeastern route, Ridge did not bear fruit. A year later, Swiss explorer Raymond Lambertt guided Tenzing Norgay almost to the summit at 28,210 feet. However, they had to return due to a lack of supplies.
The start of a massive expeditionSurprised by the success of the Swiss expedition, the British did not want to lose. They staged a massive expedition in 1953 under the command of Colonel John Hunt.
In addition to providing complete supplies such as boots and special clothing, portable radio equipment, oxygen equipment, and preparing experienced Sherpas such as Tenzing Norgay, the expedition also recruited skilled climbers from British Commonwealth countries. From there, New Zealand climbers George Lowe and Edmund Hillary were chosen.
In May, this great expedition began. A new path was created through the Khumbu Icefall. On May 26, Chales Evans and Tom Bourillon began their ascent to the summit and reached another 300 feet before they actually reached it. But they had to go back because one of their oxygen devices didn't work.
On May 28, it was Tenzing and Hillary's turn to try their luck. They did not immediately break through and climb the peak, but first set up a tent at an altitude of 27,900 feet. After the night, they walked slowly and reached the southern peak at 9 am.
They continued their ascent. As she walked, Hillary wiggled her face to sigh -- this technique came to be known as the "Hillary Step". He threw the rope and Norgay followed behind him. At around 11 and 30 minutes, the climbers finally arrived at the top of the world.
News of the success began to be relayed by radio post in Namche Bazar and then sent to London. Soon, Queen Elizabeth II learned of the achievement ahead of her coronation day on June 1. The next day the news spread throughout the world and is remembered to this day.
*Read other information about the history of the world or read other interesting articles from Ramdan Febrian.
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