* The mountain was named after Sir George Everest in 1865, the British surveyor-general of India.
* It straddles the border of Nepal and Tibet.
* Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay were the first men to reach the summit of Everest in 1953.
* 4,000 people have attempted to climb Everest but only 660 people have successfully climbed it.
* During the 1996 climbing season, 15 people died trying to reach the summit, making it the deadliest single year in Everest history.
* The mountain is equivalent to the size of almost 20 Empire State Buildings or the cruising altitude of intercontinental jets.
