12 Facts About Wanda Rutkiewicz

Wanda Rutkiewicz was the first woman to reach the summit of K2 and the third woman to summit Mount Everest.

Wanda Rutkiewicz was born into an educated Polish family in Plunge, Lithuania.

Wanda Rutkiewicz trained long jump, discus throw, and high jump.

Some speculated that Rutkiewicz might have been called up to the national team or even represent Poland in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, but she chose to pursue climbing instead.

Wanda Rutkiewicz graduated from Wroclaw University of Technology as an electrical engineer.

Wanda Rutkiewicz rode a Junak, the heaviest Polish motorcycle, which indirectly contributed to her interest in climbing.

Wanda Rutkiewicz started waving to people passing on the road to seek their assistance; a motorcyclist who stopped to help was travelling with a colleague, Bogdan Jankowski, who had been climbing for two years.

Wanda Rutkiewicz managed to accomplish this climb despite suffering from anemia.

Wanda Rutkiewicz's triumph was marred when both the Barrards died during the descent, becoming two of 13 climbers to die on K2 that summer.

Wanda Rutkiewicz's goal was to become the first woman to reach the summits of all 14 of the eight-thousanders.

Wanda Rutkiewicz was sheltering at high altitude on the north-west face, during her attempted ascent of what would have been her ninth eight-thousander.

On 16 October 2019, Wanda Rutkiewicz was the subject of the daily Google Doodle on the forty-first anniversary of her ascent of Mount Everest.