The first attempt to climb Everest was made by British climbers George Mallory and Guy Bullock in 1921. The pair did not make it to the top of the mountain, nor did the many who made attempts in the several decades that followed. A strange and ambitious quest occurred in 1933. A British millionaire named Lady Houston funded a mission involving a formation of British aircraft that flew over the peak of Everest. Their plan was to drop the British flag on the summit of the mountain. It was the first flight over Everest, but not the first journey to the peak by foot. The first climbers to summit Everest were New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a local climber from Nepal. A handful of other climbers made a few more successful summits in the decade that followed. On May 1, 1963, Jim Whittaker was the first American to stand atop Everest and look down at the clouds. How would the information be different if the excerpt were told from a first-person point of view?

The author might give his or her feelings about the attempts and might give an opinion about why it was hard for people to reach the summit.
The author might give more details about Jim Whittaker's excursion and the challenges he faced while trying to reach the summit.
The author might give more details about the type of British aircraft that was used by the millionaire Lady Houston's mission to fly over the summit.
The author might give more information about hikers who have reached the summit more recently and what countries they came from.