Fond Farewells

Edmund Hillary, 1919-2008

Popperfoto / Getty
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On May 29, 1953, Hillary, with the help of his Sherpa guide, became the first person to reach Earth's highest point. Standing atop the peak of Mount Everest, the New Zealand-born mountaineer beheld a view never before seen: "The whole world around us lay spread out like a giant relief map." It is a feat that has been achieved many times since but never with such resonance.

Gilbert Cruz

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