Sir Edmund Hillary

By Kempster

  • Born

    Sir Edmund Hillary was born on July 20, 1919. He was the second of three children and grew up in Tuakau south of Auckland.
  • Period: to

    timespan

  • Climbed first Mountain

    1939 - Hillary climbed his first mountain, Mount Olivier in the Southern Alps.

  • Ed Joins the Air Force

    1943 - Ed decided to join the Air Force and trained to be a navigator. He spent his spare time climbing whenever he could and promised himself that he would be a mountaineer after the war

  • Burnt in Accident in Fiji

    1945 - Sir Ed was a Catalina flying boat navigator in the Pacific during the war. He was badly burnt in an accident in Fiji and returned home. He spent the next few years climbing in the Southern Alps as much as he could, including the highest mountain in New Zealand, Mount Cook (3764 metres)

  • Climbed Mt Cook

    1947 - Climbed Mt Cook for the first time in 1947

  • Climbed Swiss Alps

    1949 - Hillary travelled to Europe and climbed in the Austrian and Swiss Alps

  • Climbed Mt Everest

    29 May - Hillary, accompanied by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay conquered Mt Everest.

  • Knighthood

    16 July - Hillary was given a knighthood for his Everest achievemen

  • Got Married

    Married Louise Rose on his return to New Zealand and continued work as a beekeeper

  • Son Born

    1954 - Sir Ed's son Peter was born

  • Daughter Born

    1955 - His daughter Sarah was born

  • Published High Adventure

    1955 - Published High Adventure

  • Published East of Everest

    1956 - Published East of Everest which he wrote with George Lowe.

  • Led a team to South Pole

    4 January 1958 - Hillary led a team to the South Pole. On Fergusson tractors Sir Ed and his team drove overland to the South Pole. They became the first men to reach the pole since Robert Falcon Scott, beating the British explorer Vivien Fuchs by 16. The adventure took Ed away from home for 18 months.

  • 1959

    1959 - Daughter Belinda born

  • attempt to Climb Mt Makalu without oxygen

    1961 - Attempt to climb Mt Makalu in the Himalaya's without Oxygen

  • began fundraising

    Began a lifetime of fundraising and charity work by building a school for the children of Khumjung

  • Published No Latitude for Error

    Published No Latitude for Error

  • Published High in the Thin Cold Air

    1963 - Published High in the Thin Cold Air

  • Published Schoolhouse in the clouds

    1965 - Published Schoolhouse in the Clouds

  • His Wife and Daughter died

    March - Sir Ed's wife Louise and their youngest daughter Belinda (16) were killed when the plane they were on crashed on takeoff at a Kathmandu airstrip. The family were going to spend a year Nepal at the time building a school. Sir Ed suffered from depression following their deaths.

  • Published "Nothing Venture, Nothing Win"

    Published "Nothing Venture, Nothing Win"

  • Joins Ocean to Sky Adventure

    1977 - Sir Ed along with his son Peter joined the From the Ocean to the Sky adventure - travelling by jet boat from the mouth of the sacred Ganges to its source in the Himalaya's

  • Ed's friend died

    1979 - Sir Ed's close friend Peter Mulgrew died in the Mt Erebus crash. Hillary had been scheduled to act as a commentator on the Antarctica flight to but had to pull out due to work commitments elsewhere. Mulgrew was his replacement

  • Published From the Ocean to the Sky

    Published From the Ocean to the Sky

  • Published Two Generations

    1984 - Published Two Generations

  • Hillary Became NZ high Commisioner to India

    Hillary became the New Zealand High Commissioner to India after David Lange decided to renew diplomatic relations with the country

  • Ed was Honoured by T.V program This is your Life

    23 October 1986 - Hillary was honoured by the television programme This is Your Life.

  • Tenzing Norgay died

    1987 - Tenzing Norgay died. Just before his death he had written a biography in which he told for the first time that it was Hillary who had reached the top of Everest first

  • Hillary became a member of the Order of New Zealand

    Hillary became a member of the Order of New Zealand

  • Anounced he was to mary June Mulgrew

    1989 - Announced his plans to marry his long time companion, June Mulgrew. The widow of his good friend Peter, June had been Hillary's official consort and companion while in India. Dame Cath Tizard officiated at the wedding

  • Son Peter Climbed Everest

    1990 - Hillary's son Peter climbed Everest.

  • He suffered from Altitude sickness

    1991 - While on a trip to Nepal Sir Ed had a brush with death when he suffered altitude sickness

  • Named as one of only 24 Noble Orders of the Garter

    1995 - Named as one of only 24 Noble Orders of the Garter

  • 1999 - Published A View from the Summit

    1999 - Published A View from the Summit

  • Ed's 80th Birthday

    1999 - Sir Ed's 80th birthday celebrated at Government House

  • Control of Himalayan Trust was handed over to Sherpas.

    2002 - Control of Sir Ed's Himalayan Trust was handed over to Sherpas.

  • Everest 50th Aniversary

    2003 - There were celebrations at home and abroad for the 50th anniversary of Hillary and Tenzing's conquest of Everest

  • Ed Flew to Antartica

    2007 - Sir Ed flew to Antarctica to mark his historic Journey there and the establishment of Scott Base.

  • Edmund's Death

    Sadly, Edmund died.