Photographs: Picture Norgay/Reuters
On May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first men to reach the top of Mount Everest. Since then, much has changed -- but not the enthusiasm -- more than 3,000 climbers have conquered the formidable peak which stands at a height of 8,848 metres.
Rediff.com celebrates this 60-year legacy through pictures.
Sir Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa display their climbing gear at the British Embassy in Kathmandu following their conquest of Mount Everest in 1953 in this undated handout photograph. Nepali Sherpa friends of Sir Hillary, who died on January 11, 2008, lit butter lamps and offered special Buddhist prayers in monasteries for the mountaineer, calling him a great philanthropist and friend of Nepal.
Hillary, who scaled Mount Everest in 1953 along with Nepal's Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, spent much of his life afterwards helping Sherpa communities in Nepal, including projects to build hospitals and schools.
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PICS: 60 years ago, these men conquered Everest
Photographs: Peter Jackson/Reuters
Sir Edmund Hillary (right) and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay smile during their first interview with Reuters special correspondent Peter Jackson after their legendary ascent of Mount Everest (summit to right of Hillary's head) at camp in Thyangboche, Nepal in this June 6, 1953 file photo.
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PICS: 60 years ago, these men conquered Everest
Photographs: Express Newspapers/Getty Images
Sir Edmund Hillary sits at base camp, preparing for his successful attempt to be the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest, in Nepal, May 1953.
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PICS: 60 years ago, these men conquered Everest
Photographs: Keystone/Getty Images
March 17, 1953: Sherpas weighing baggage, before it is divided up to be carried, at the base of Mount Everest before the start of the Hillary expedition which finally conquered Mount Everest.
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PICS: 60 years ago, these men conquered Everest
Photographs: Keystone/Getty Images
July 1, 1953: Sir Edmund Hillary being presented with a Gold Medal medal by the then Indian President Rajendra Prasad (1884 - 1963) after climbing the Mount Everest.
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PICS: 60 years ago, these men conquered Everest
Photographs: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images
July 3, 1953: The members of the first expedition to make a successful attempt on Mount Everest arrive at LondonAirport. (left to right) Edmund Hillary, Sherpa Tensing and leader of the expedition Colonel John Hunt holding an ice axe and Union Jack.
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PICS: 60 years ago, these men conquered Everest
Photographs: Picture Norgay Archive/Handout/Reuters
April 16, 1956 :Sir Edmund Hillary (right), Tenzing Norgay Sherpa (centre) and John Hunt, leader of the Mt Everest expedition team of 1953, arrive at the Heathrow airport in London in this undated handout photograph.
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PICS: 60 years ago, these men conquered Everest
Photographs: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
April 16, 1956: Sir Edmund Hillary, the Everest climber, at LondonAirport, about to leave for New Zealand. He is taking a small pair of skis for his son.
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PICS: 60 years ago, these men conquered Everest
Photographs: Fred Ramage/Keystone/Getty Images
With the aid of a model, mountaineers Sir Edmund Hillary, Colonel John Hunt and Sherpa Tensing Norgay present an account of their ascent of Mount Everest at a press conference at the Royal Geographical Society, Kensington, London.
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PICS: 60 years ago, these men conquered Everest
Photographs: Ron Burton/Keystone/Getty Images
Boots being handmade for Edmund Hillary's Mount Everest expedition, January 21, 1953. The boot on the right is still under construction, and the fur interlining can be seen. They are being made by Messrs. Robert Lawrie Ltd of London, and should be durable at heights of 23,000 feet.
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