Tenzing Norgay

Born Namgyal Wangdi in May 1914, Tenzing Norgay grew up in the Himalayas and worked as a Sherpa mountaineer, guiding expeditions through some of the world's most unforgiving terrain. He joined the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition, and on 29 May of that year he and New Zealander Edmund Hillary reached the summit of Everest, the first confirmed ascent of the mountain that had defeated all previous attempts. The climb made him a figure of global fascination and earned him a place on Time's list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. He died on 9 May 1986, having spent his li…