Thanks to the combination of British imperialism and widely hailed parties of adventurers, the story of summiting Everest has a distinctly 19th-century feel. And while Sir George Everest did rename it in 1856, most of the (primarily British) efforts to get to the top took place through the first half of the 1900s. The first known party to reach the summit didn't get there until 1953.
We're breaking our story about getting to the top of the mountain into two episodes. This one takes us up to World War II, during which there was a pause in the exploration effort because of the war.
Our listener mail is from Ellen who writes about our Crown Prince Sado episode.
For more knowledge: Are there dead bodies on Mount Everest?
Episode download link: Getting to the Top of the World, Pt. 1
Holly's research:
- "Imaging Everest." The Royal Geographic Society (With the Institute of British Geographers). http://imagingeverest.rgs.org/concepts/Imaging_Everest/-1.html
- Eveleth, Rose. "It Costs At Least $30,000 to Climb Mt. Everest." Smithsonian. May 2, 2013. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/it-costs-at-least-30000-to-climb-mt-everest-48779506/
- Everest History. http://www.everesthistory.com/Default.htm
- Gambino, Megan. "Conquering Everest." Smithsonian. March 1, 2008. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/conquering-everest-22118304
- Gippenreiter, Yevgeniy B. "Mount Everest and the Russians, 1952 and 1958." Alpine Journal. 1994. http://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1994_files/AJ%201994%20109-115%20Gippenreiter%20Everest.pdf
- Greenspan, Jesse. "7 Things You Should Know About Mount Everest." History. May 29, 2013. http://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-should-know-about-mount-everest
- Greenspan, Jesse. "7 Things You Should Know About Mount Everest." History. May 29, 2013. http://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-should-know-about-mount-everest
- http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/george-mallorys-frozen-body-may-have-been-discovered-decades-earlier-on-everest-180947845/
- Morris, Jan. "Finally, the Top of the World." Smithsonian Magazine. May 2003. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/finally-the-top-of-the-world-81199251/
- Murray, W.H. "The Reconnaissance of Mount Everest, 1951." Himalayan Journal. Originally published 1952. http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/the-reconnaissance-of-mount-everest-1951/
- Nova. "Lost on Everest: The Search for Mallory and Irvine." PBS. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/lost/
- Nuwer, Rachel. "Super High Res Photo of Mt. Everest Shows Glacier Melt (But No Bodies)." Smithsonian. Dec. 26, 2012. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/super-high-res-photo-of-mt-everest-shows-glacier-melt-but-no-bodies-172810609/
- Nuwer, Rachel. "There Are Over 200 Bodies on Mount Everest, And They're Used as Landmarks." Smithsonian. Nov. 28, 2012. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/there-are-over-200-bodies-on-mount-everest-and-theyre-used-as-landmarks-146904416/
- Powter, Geoff. "Strange and Dangerous Dreams: The Fine Line Between Adventure and Madness." The Mountaineers Books. 2006.
- Reynolds, Kev. "Everest: A Trekker's Guide." Cicerone Press Limited. 2012. Accessed via Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=N1HPufqCbmQC&dq
- Robinson, Simon. "Sir Edmund Hillary: Top of the World." Time. Jan. 10, 2008. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1702543,00.html
- Ruttlege, Hugh. "The Mount Everest Expedition, 1936." Himalayan Journal. Originally published April 1, 1937. http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/the-mount-everest-expedition-1936/
- Shipton, Eric. "The Mount Everest Reconnaisance, 1935." Himalayan Journal. April 1, 1936. http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/the-mount-everest-reconnaissance-1935/
- Tarboc, Katherine. "The Economics of Everest." Time. Jan. 23, 2012. http://business.time.com/2012/01/23/the-economics-of-everest/
- The Edmund Hillary Foundation. http://www.thesiredmundhillaryfoundation.ca/Home.24.0.html
- Walsh, Bryan. "60 Years After Man First Climbed Everest, the Mountain Is a Mess." Time. May 29, 2013. http://science.time.com/2013/05/29/60-years-after-man-first-climbed-everest-the-mountain-is-a-mess/
- Wylie, Charles. "Everest -- 1953." Himalayan Journal. Originally published 1954. http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/everest%E2%80%941953/
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