The Stories Behind These Iconic Photos

Mount Everest, located in the Himalayas, is known as the highest mountain in the world. Due to its height, climbing the mountain and reaching the top requires special equipment, which wasn’t always available. In 1963, this team of American explorers made history when they reached the summit of the mountain.

During the challenging climb, despite the 23 tons of supplies they brought with them, the explorers ran out of oxygen, and at the end only six members of the expedition made it to the top. Among them were Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit the Everest, and Nawang Gombu, a Nepali-Indian explorer who later became the first man in the world to summit the Everest twice.