There are thousands of very well known places in the world, and each has its own positive attributes. Some are said to be beautiful, some peaceful, some exciting, and others historically important.

But only one place can be called the highest: Mount Everest. It is the tallest mountain in the world, and the story of the first team to climb it is a fascinating one.

Mount Everest is located between the Asian countries of Tibet and Nepal.

The top of the mountain is 29,000 feet (8,800 meters) high.

The mountain has long held a fascination for anyone who has seen it.

Tibetans have for centuries known the mountain, calling it “Chomolungma,” which means something like “Saint Mother.” The name Everest was given its name by English surveyors in the 1850’s. They were the ones who identified the height of the mountain.

Englishmen and other Europeans were the first to use modern climbing methods and equipment to attempt to reach the summit of Everest.

But there is a catch to their claims. Almost every European team has been accompanied by local climbers. Most of these come from the Sherpa tribe.

This gets confusing because a local who is a climbing guide is now called a “sherpa” – so the term has separately come to mean an ethnic group or a profession.

The first European who tried to climb Everest was named George Finch. His goal was not to reach the summit, and he did not reach the top of the mountain, but he did come close to it. He was not a failure, however, as he was scouting routes to the top rather than trying to reach it.

Climbing Everest is incredibly difficult. Climbers need more than just stamina and good climbing skills. At the upper elevations, oxygen grows thin and climbers must carry tanks of air. Many climbers have died from the confusion and disorientation that occur when the brain does not have oxygen, a condition known as “altitude sickness.”

In addition, near the higher elevations blizzards strong enough to blow climbers right off the mountain can pick up with little warning. The temperature has been recorded as low as seventy degrees below zero. In such extreme weather, a human being can die in a matter of minutes if exposed.

Climbers need insulated clothing and tents in addition to climbing gear, food, and oxygen. All of this gear has to be carried, which makes the ascent more difficult.

In 1953, these difficulties were overcome for the first time. Several teams climbed together. One pair reached a spot only 300 feet from the top and then turned back. But they left a trail and extra oxygen along the way. This made it easier for the better-known pair who came next – Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary.

Together, these two climbers reached the top of the highest mountain on Mary 29, 1953. They took a few photographs of the world laid out before them. Norgay buried some chocolate and Hillary a cross, both acts of gratitude and worship to their gods.

Upon their return, Hillary was a worldwide celebrity, knighted by the Queen of England and interviewed by anyone with a microphone. Norgay was also honored, although less so.

Norgay’s son later wrote a book noting that the wealthy European climbers have usually most of the media attention and credit, while the sherpas, who are poor, do much of the hard work of guiding them up the mountain and are often forgotten by history. For example, when there is an accident on the mountain, the press reports on the Westerners who die, but does not name the sherpas who die.Yet Hillary and Norgay always insisted that their climb was a team effort. They didn’t like answering the question, “Which one of you got there first?”

It was actually Hillary who got there first by a few feet, but the two will always be linked in history.

Sonny is writing an essay about Tenzig Norgay. What information will he most likely not include from this text?