When did the first modern scientific expedition reach the summit of Mount Everest?

The first successful Everest summit on 29 May 1953 was the result of years of scientific surveying and expedition planning. The British team, led by John Hunt, combined climbing expertise with knowledge gained from earlier reconnaissance of the Himalayan region. Everest had been identified as the world’s highest mountain through 19th-century surveying work in the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India. That earlier mapping made the mountain a global symbol of both science and exploration. The 1953 climb became a landmark achievement for mountaineers and geographers alike.