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Tenzing Norgay

Personal Profile

Tenzing Norgay
  • Birth Name:
    Namgyal Wangdi
  • Date of Birth:
    May 1, 1914
  • Zodiac Sign:
    Taurus
  • Place of Birth:
    Khumbu, Nepal or Kharta Valley, Tibet
  • Place of Death:
    Darjeeling, India
  • Date of Death:
    May 9, 1986
  • Cause of Death:
    Cerebral Hemorrhage
  • Sex:
    Male
  • Nationality:
    Indian
  • Religion:
    Buddhist

Family

Tenzing Norgay
  • Father:
    Ghang La Mingma
  • Mother:
    Dokmo Kinzom
  • Spouse:
    Dawa Phuti
    Ang Lahmu
    Dakku
  • Son:
    Nima Dorje
    Norbu
    Jamling
    Dhamey
  • Daughter:
    Pem Pem
    Deki

Career

Tenzing Norgay

Trivia

Tenzing Norgay
  • Died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India in 1986, aged 71.
  • In 1978, the Government of India created the Tenzing Norgay Award in his honour.
  • His native language was either Sherpa or Tibetan (he did speak both from an early age).
  • Never learned to read or write, but he spoke several languages.
  • Had three sons (Norbu, Jamling, and Dhamey), and one daughter, Deki.
  • His third wife was Dakku, whom he married while his second wife was still alive, as allowed by Sherpa custom (see polygyny).
  • Had a son, Nima Dorje, who died at the age of four, and two daughters: Pem Pem, whose son Tashi Tenzing climbed Everest, and Nima, who married a Filipino graphic designer, Noli Galang.
  • His first wife, Dawa Phuti, died young in 1944.
  • Was married three times.
  • Hillary and Hunt were knighted by Queen Elizabeth, while Tenzing received either the British Empire Medal, or the George Medal from the British Government for his efforts with the expedition.

Biography

Tenzing Norgay
Last Updated: Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986) was a well-known Nepalese mountaineer who set a record in 1952 by climbing 28,215 feet of Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. The following year he and Edmund Hillary became the first persons to reach its summit.

Tenzing Norgay was born on May 15, 1914 in Solo Khumbu, Nepal, a member of the Sherpa tribe. Sherpas have long been known for their positive spirit, strength, and mountain skills. When Europeans began exploring the Himalayas in the early part of the 20th century, they usually came to Darjeeling, India, and hired Sherpas to assist with their expeditions. Before long, this custom became an official system. Sherpas were registered as an elite force of expedition assistants. In Nepal, where Westerners were forbidden to go, Sherpas heard about this work and each year more young men headed to Darjeeling in search of jobs with mountaineering expeditions. In 1933, Tenzing went to Darjeeling, hoping to be hired for that year's British expedition.

Tenzing died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Darjeeling, West Bengal, India in 1986, aged 71.

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