31 Facts About Tenzing Norgay

Tenzing Norgay, born Namgyal Wangdi, and referred to as Sherpa Tenzing, was a Nepalese-Indian Sherpa mountaineer.

Tenzing Norgay spent his early childhood in Kharta, near the north of the country.

Tenzing Norgay went to Nepal as a child to work for a Sherpa family in Khumbu.

Tenzing Norgay's year of birth, according to the Tibetan calendar, was the Year of the Rabbit, making it likely that he was born in 1914.

Tenzing Norgay was originally called "Namgyal Wangdi", but as a child his name was changed on the advice of the head lama and founder of Rongbuk Monastery, Ngawang Tenzin Norbu.

Tenzing Norgay was the 11th of 13 children, several of whom died young.

Tenzing Norgay ran away from home twice in his teens, first to Kathmandu and later to Darjeeling, India, and eventually acquired Indian citizenship.

Tenzing Norgay was once sent to Tengboche Monastery to become a monk, but he decided that was not for him and left.

Tenzing Norgay received his first opportunity to join an Everest expedition at age 20, when Eric Shipton was assembling the 1935 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition.

Tenzing Norgay participated as a high-altitude porter in three official British attempts to climb Everest from the northern Tibetan side in the 1930s.

Tenzing Norgay took part in other climbs in various parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Tenzing Norgay returned to Darjeeling with his two daughters during the Indian partition of 1947, and managed to cross India by train without a ticket and without being challenged by wearing one of Major Chapman's old uniforms.

In 1947, Tenzing Norgay participated in an unsuccessful summit attempt of Everest.

The Canadian-born mountaineer Earl Denman, Ange Dawa Sherpa, and Tenzing Norgay entered Tibet illegally to attempt the climb, an attempt which ended when a strong storm hit at 22,000 feet.

In 1947, Tenzing Norgay became a sirdar of a Swiss expedition for the first time after having helped to rescue Sirdar Wangdi Norbu, who had fallen and been seriously injured.

Raymond Lambert and Tenzing Norgay were able to reach a height of about 8,595 metres on the southeast ridge, setting a new climbing altitude record.

In 1953, Tenzing Norgay took part in John Hunt's expedition; Tenzing had previously been to Everest six times.

At the time, newspaper reports variously referred to him as Tensing, Tenzing, Tenzing Bhotia, Tenzing Norgay, Tensing Norkey, Tenzing Sherpa or Dan Shin, as one Indian academic suggested.

Tenzing Norgay's reputation had been most impressive even before his two great efforts with the Swiss expedition.

Tenzing Norgay spent two hours warming them before he and Tenzing attempted the final ascent, wearing 30-pound packs.

Hillary took the famous photo of Tenzing Norgay posing with his ice-axe, but since Tenzing Norgay had never used a camera, Hillary's ascent went unrecorded.

Hillary and Hunt were knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, while Tenzing Norgay received the George Medal for his efforts on the expedition.

Tenzing Norgay eventually ended the speculation by revealing that Hillary was first in his 1955 autobiography.

Tenzing Norgay became the first Director of Field Training of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, when it was set up in 1954.

In January 1975, with permission of the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, Tenzing Norgay served as sirdar for the first American tourist party allowed into the country.

Tenzing Norgay even introduced his group to the King of Sikkim and brought them to his home in India for a farewell celebration.

Tenzing Norgay received, along with the rest of the Everest party, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.

On 1 March 1963, Tenzing Norgay was awarded the honorary title of "Merited Master of Sport of the USSR" by the Soviet Union, becoming the first foreigner to receive this distinction.

Tenzing Norgay Trainor is an actor who appeared on the Disney Channel comedy Liv and Maddie.

Tenzing Norgay died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, on 9 May 1986 at the age of 71.

Tenzing Norgay's remains were cremated in the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, his favourite haunt.