First known summit of Mount Everest / Republic of Biafra established - May 30

On this day in 1953, Nepalese sherpa Tenzing Norgay and climber Edmund Hillary became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain above sea level. / On this day in 1967, the Republic of Biafra declared its independence from Nigeria.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, y'all, We're rerunning two episodes today in Troy to
show Hi um Eves Welcome to This Day in History Class,
a show that reveals a little bit more about history
day by day. The day was made thirtieth, nineteen fifty three.

(00:23):
Just before midday, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Nepolie
Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest, the
highest point above global means sea level. The pair became
the first recorded people to summit the mountain, and since
then thousands of people have attempted to climb Everest. Mount

(00:44):
Everest is located in the Himalayas in Nepal and Tibet
is the highest mountain on Earth above sea level. The
climb to the top of the mountain is extremely challenging
and dangerous. Oxygen levels are low at the summit, and
the weather is cold and predictable. The first recorded attempt
to climb Mount Everest happened in nineteen one, when a

(01:06):
British expedition tricked miles across the Tibetan plateau to the
bottom of the mountain. They had to cut their climbs
short when a storm broke out, but mountaineer George Lee
Mallory was determined to complete the climb. Mallory, along with
George Finch and Jeffrey Bruce, took a shot at the
climb the next year, but did not make it to
the top. Later in nineteen Mallory attempted to summit Everest again,

(01:32):
but the climb ended in disaster when several sherperds died
in an avalanche. Two years later, climber Edward Norton approached
the summit without using artificial oxygen, setting a world altitude
record but not reaching the top. That same year, Mallory
and climber Andrew Irvine set off on an attempt to
reach the summit, but the two were never seen alive again,

(01:56):
and Mallory's body was found on the mountain. In nineteen
more people attempted to summit Everest via Tibet and then Nepal.
The north route up Everest through Tibet was closed and
Nepaul only allowed one trip from the south annually. Britain
had DIBs on nineteen fifty three, France was set for

(02:17):
nineteen fifty four, in Switzerland for nineteen fifty five. In
nineteen fifty two, Tensig, Nor Gay and Raymond Lambert attempted
the feet and made it to just below the South summit,
but they had to turn around for supplies. The next year,
a British expedition under the command of Colonel John Hunt
was put together. New Zealander's Edmund Hillary and George Lowe,

(02:41):
as well as Sherpa Tenzi Norgay, were part of the expedition.
The climbers had specially equipped clothing, radio equipment, and oxygen systems.
The team had brought three hundred and sixty two porters,
twenty sherpas, and ten thousand pounds of luggage. On March tenth,
the nineteen fifty three British Everest expedition set out from

(03:04):
Catman Do in April and May. They ascended the mountain
on the night of May nine. Hillary and Norgay, the
second assault team, prepared for the climb to the summit.
Tensing had made six summit attempts before this one. Their
oxygen supply was short and the pair would have to
do with three liters a minute rather than the four

(03:27):
they had planned for. They ate sardines, jam and honey
and drank hot water with leomen By six thirty in
the morning. On May Hillary and Norgay left camp for
the summit in negative seventeen degree fahrenheit weather with two
twenty pounds cylinders of oxygen, one of which was only
partially filled. By nine in the morning, they reached the

(03:50):
South summit and at eleven thirty a m. The two
became the first to summit Mount Everest. Hillary took three
photos of his climbing partner and laid down across Tensing
left some sweets at the top of the mountain. They
made their way back down to camp fifteen minutes after
they reached the summit. Queen Elizabeth the second night at

(04:13):
Hillary for the achievement. Nor Gay received the British Empire
Medal for the feat. Hillary went on more adventures, including
to the North and South Poles. He established the Himalayan
Trust and assisted Sherpas in Nepal. Norgay became the first
director of field Training of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in

(04:33):
Zarjeeling and later founded a trekking inventor company. The effects
climbers have on Mount Everest in the environment, as well
as the danger of conditions on Everest for climbers, remains
a topic of debate. I'm Eve jeffco and hopefully you
know a little more about history today than you did yesterday.

(04:55):
And as an additional note, there has been controversy over
whether nor gay in Hillary we're really the first to
get to the summit. Some say that Andrew Irvine and
George Mallory made it to the top on their fatal
climb and just did not make it back down. Thank
you for joining me today. You can find us on Twitter, Instagram,

(05:16):
and Facebook at T D I h C podcast And
if you are interested in learning more about history, you
can listen to the show on a popular a new
podcast hosted by me that's about people who took a
stand against the status quo to create meaningful change. You

(05:37):
can't subscribe on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks again for listening
and we'll see you again tomorrow. Hey y'all, I'm Eves

(05:58):
and welcome to the Stay in History Class, a podcast
where we opened the book of history, flipped through it
and tear out a page. The day was made thirtieth,
nineteen sixty seven, the Republic of Biafra declared its independence
from Nigeria. In nineteen fourteen, the Colony and Protectorate of

(06:22):
Nigeria was established. British Governor General Frederick Lugard instituted a
policy of indirect rule and this set up. Traditional structures
were allowed to remain to establish regulations, but they were
subordinate to British officials. Britain used existing ethnic and social
divisions to keep Nigerians from organizing effective political resistance to

(06:44):
its rule. It encouraged competition between Nigeria's largest ethnic groups,
the House of Fulani, Ebo, and Euroba. In nineteen fifty four,
Britain divided Nigeria into the Northern, Western, and Eastern regions,
with the latter two in the southern half of the federation.
Each region was soon dominated by an ethnic group, the

(07:04):
House of Fulani in the North, the Yorba in the West,
and the Ebo in the East. As the British consolidated
their power in the region, ethnic and religious tension escalated.
At the same time, the British based descent from the
Nigerians who challenged British rule. In nineteen sixty, Nigeria gained
independence from Britain. Abu Bakar to follow a Ballewa became

(07:26):
the first prime minister, but the period just after independence
was marked by violent leadership transitions and regional hostilities. Though
some nationalists wanted a unified Nigeria, the state was immensely divided.
The government was led by the Northern People's Congress in
alliance with the National Council of Nigerian Citizens, and in

(07:47):
nineteen sixty three the country became a republic, but ethnic conflict,
as well as economic and social imbalances brought tensions to
a head. In January of nineteen sixty six, the civilian
government was to posed in a coup and General Aguigi
Iransi and Ebo became the head of state. Ebo leaders
claimed the coup was an attempt to save Nigeria from dissolution,

(08:10):
but the House of Fulani and Yorba people remained suspicious.
The new administration abolished the federation and instituted a unitary state,
but the leaders of the coup were accused of favoring
Ebo domination. In July of nineteen sixty six, General Yakubu
Gawan and Anga from the Middle Bill of Nigeria led
a counter coup with help from Northern groups. AGUII Iransi

(08:32):
was killed along with thousands of others from the South
who were living in the North. Galwan and restored the
federal state. He promised to restore democratic rule, but continued
ethnic tensions led to massacres. Thousands of Southern Nigerians living
in the North, particularly Ebo's, were killed. Northern Nigerians were
also targeted in Eastern Nigeria. After the programs in the North,

(08:57):
thousands of Ebo's fled to their traditional lands and s
learn in Eastern Nigeria. Gallan's government did not respond to
ebo appeals for justice, and support grew for Ebo secession.
On May thirtieth, nineteen sixty seven, the Eastern regions seceded
and proclaimed the Republic of Biafra. Ebo Leader in General
Amica of Juku, declared the Republic of Biafra a free

(09:20):
and a sovereign state. He also recommended that Biafra become
a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and adopt a
federal constitution based on the new provincial units. Ojuku proclaimed
that all ties between the Republic of Biafra and the
Federal Republic of Nigeria were dissolved. He also declared that
any contractual obligation entered into by any authority or organization

(09:44):
within the Republic of Biafra would be considered as entered
into with the government of the Republic of Biafra. The
Nigerian government turned to violence to reclaim the region. For
more than two years, Biafra and the government of Nigeria
were engaged in a civil war. Biafra did gain recognition
from some African states and received aid from international organizations,

(10:06):
but Ojuku fled the country and Biafra surrendered in January
of nineteen seventy. More than a million people are estimated
to have died during the civil war, including many Biafra
and civilians who died from starvation. After the war, the
Nigerian government adopted a policy of no victor, no vanquished.
Biafra was reabsorbed into Nigeria. The federal government proceeded to

(10:30):
consolidate its power and the Ebos grew more influential, but
they were still marginalized. I'm e Chef Coote and hopefully
you know a little more about history today than you
did yesterday. And if you have any comments our suggestions,
you can send them to us via email. At this
day and i heart media dot com. You can also

(10:50):
hit us up on social media where at t d
i h C podcast. Thanks so much for listening to
the show and we'll see you tomorrow m H. For
more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the i heart
Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your

(11:12):
favorite shows.