Mount Everest’s First U.S. Conqueror Recalls 1963 Climb

Fifty years ago, in 1963, Jim Whittaker became the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at 29,035 feet.

Since then, more than a 1,000 hearty Americans have followed in his footsteps, but “Big Jim,” as the six-foot-five climber is affectionately called, was first.