Did George Mallory Reach Everest's Summit Before Anyone Else?

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]On June 8th, 1924, two men were spotted near the summit of Mount Everest. Then the clouds closed in.

[00:00:06]They were never seen alive again.

[00:00:08]George Mallory was one of Britain's most accomplished mountaineers.

[00:00:12]Alongside his partner, Andrew Irvine, he was making a final push for the top during the third British Everest expedition.

[00:00:19]A teammate watched them moving upward through a break in the clouds.

[00:00:23]Just 800 ft from the summit.

[00:00:25]Then nothing.

[00:00:27]No rescue was possible.

[00:00:29]The mountain kept its secret for 75 years.

[00:00:32]In 1999, Mallory's frozen body was discovered at 26,760 ft.

[00:00:39]Irvine has never been found.

[00:00:41]Here's what we still don't know.

[00:00:43]Did they reach the summit on June 8th, 1924?

[00:00:47]29 years before Edmund Hillary.

[00:00:50]The camera Mallory carried could answer that question. It has never been recovered.