Hillary's Everest glory was only the beginning of his adventurous life. On September 3, 1953, Hillary married an old friend, Louise Rose. Their honeymoon took them around the world. Everywhere he went Sir Edmund was invited to give lectures about Everest.

In 1954, Sir Edmund and Louise had their first child, Peter. Soon after Peter, their daughter Sarah arrived. Hillary had little time to enjoy his new family, however, because he took off on a tractor expedition across Antarctica. When he returned, Peter didn't know his own father. Hillary made the decision to settle down and spend time with his family, which grew to five when little Belinda was born.

Photo: Bettmann