Willi Unsoeld

William Francis Unsoeld was an American mountaineer who was a member of the first American expedition to summit Mount Everest. The American Mount Everest Expedition was led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, and included Unsoeld, Jim Whittaker, Lute Jerstad, Barry Bishop and Tom Hornbein. Whittaker, with Sherpa Nawang Gombu, reached the summit on May 1, 1963. Unsoeld, Hornbein, Bishop and Jerstad reached the top on May 22, 1963. Unsoeld and Hornbein's climb was the first ascent from the peak's west ridge, and the first major traverse of a Himalayan peak. His subsequent activities included working as a U.S. Forest Service smokejumper, Peace Corps director in Nepal, speaker for Outward Bound, faculty member at Oregon State University and The Evergreen State College and mountaineering guide. He died on Mount Rainier in an avalanche.

5 October 1926

Born on the same birth date (5 October 1926): Avraham Adan

Born on the same birth day (5 October): Bil Keane • Bill Willis • Cal Wilson • Clive Barker • Consuelo Ynares-Santiago • Curtis Sanford • Elda Emma Anderson • Etela Farkašová • Florian Mayer • Heather Headley • Jacob Tremblay • José Donoso • Korina Sanchez • Marie-Claire Blais • Michael Grabner • Michael Hadschieff • Monica Rial • Morgan Webb • Thomas Roberts (television journalist) • Tony Dodemaide • Tornike Shengelia • Walter Dale Miller

Born in the same month (October 1926): Beverly Garland • Charles Dolan • Danièle Delorme • Earle Hyman • Eliška Misáková • Jean Alexander • Karl Richter (conductor) • Klaus Kinski • Neville Wran • Raaj Kumar • Richard Jaeckel • Roberto Lippi • Vladimir Shlapentokh