Born July 20, 1919, in Auckland, New Zealand. Mountain climber and public figure.
In 1953, Hillary, together with Tenzing Norgay, made the first ascent of Chomolungma (Mount Everest), for which he was knighted. From 1955 to 1958 he headed the New Zealand section of the British Commonwealth transantarctic expedition, which reached the south pole. In 1960–61 he led an expedition to the Himalayas to study man’s acclimatization to the effects of high altitudes over a prolonged period. Hillary later became involved in organizing the construction of hospitals and schools for Sherpas in Nepal.