Edmund Hillary, first climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest

The Government of India conferred on him its second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, posthumously, in 2008

Edmund Hillary a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist was born on 20th July 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand and tomorrow i.e 20th July 2020 will be Edmund Hillary's 100th Birth Anniversary. On 29 May 1953, Hillary along with Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest.

Hillary climbed ten other peaks in the Himalayas on further visits in 1956, 1960–1961, and 1963–1965.

Edmund Hillary served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. He also served the royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator during World War II.

On 6 June 1953 Hillary was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire and received the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. The Government of India conferred on him its second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, posthumously, in 2008

To mark the 50th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Everest, the Nepalese government conferred honorary citizenship upon Hillary at a special Golden Jubilee celebration in Kathmandu, Nepal. He was the first foreign national to receive that honor.

On 22 April 2007, while on a trip to Kathmandu, Hillary suffered a fall, and was hospitalized after returning to New Zealand.

Edmund Hillary died on 11 January 2008 due to heart failure at Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand.