- The Observer, Sunday March 30 2003
Everest makes its first formal appearance as 'Peak XV' and is named the highest mountain in the world by The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India.
1865
The British name it 'Everest' after Sir George Everest, the former British Surveyor General. It is already called Comolungma in Tibet and Sagarmartha in Nepal.
1921
George Mallory makes his first trip to Everest. He and Guy Bullock reach the North Col, a height of 7000m, establishing the North Route up the mountain.
1922
The first recorded deaths on Everest occur when seven Sherpas, part of the second British expedition, die in an avalanche while attempting the summit with Mallory.
1923
Mallory utters the immortal words 'Because it's there' when asked by a US reporter why he wants to scale Everest.
1924
Everest pioneer George Mallory disappears with Andrew Irvine on their way to the summit. Expedition members report that they seemed to be going for the top.
1933
The fourth British expedition finds some remains of the ill-fated 1924 attempt, including a battery-operated torch and Andrew Irvine's ice axe.
1950
China invades Tibet. Everest expeditions from the north are banned, but following the revolution in Nepal, foreign expeditions are allowed to approach the southern side.
1953
Edmund Hillary becomes the first recorded person, with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, to reach the summit of Everest. They used the South Col route which now includes the Hillary Step in honour of his achivement.
1955
The height of Mt. Everest is adjusted by 26ft to 29,028ft (8,848m) from the original measurements.
1960
A Chinese-Tibetan expedition reaches the summit, the first successful trip via the North Col and North East ridge. Their claim has since been disputed by Western mountaineers due to lack of evidence.
1975
Japanese Junko Tabei becomes the first woman to reach the summit.
1977
Setting a new standard in summiting, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler make the first ascent without oxygen supplies.
1978
Messner, again without using oxygen, makes the first solo ascent.
1996
This year sees 15 climbers die on the mountain, the most in any one year.
1999
A search expedition led by Eric Simonson finds George Mallory's body at 27,000ft. The revised official height of Everest is announced by the National Geographic Society to be 29,035ft (8,850m).
2000
Davo Karnicar makes the first ski descent.
2001
At 16 years old, Nepalese student Temba Tsheri becomes the youngest person ever to reach Everest's summit.
2002
At 65 years old, Tomiyasu Ishikawa becomes the oldest person ever to reach the summit.
· Sources: Mount Everest Foundation, The Alpine Club
