Renowned English mountaineer George Mallory (1886-1924) participated in the early 20th-century attempts by British climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. It is possible that he and his climbing partner, Sandy Irvine, were the first people to reach the summit. However, because they died in the attempt, whether or not they succeeded remains a mystery.

George Mallory was born on June 18, 1886, in Mobberley, Cheshire, England, the son of a wealthy clergyman who was also a lord. Mallory and his brother and two sisters led a free, undisciplined life in their rural village, where they spent much of their time out of doors; years later, according to P. L. Firstbrook in Lost on Everest, Mallory's sister Victoria would recall: "It was always fun doing things with George. He had the knack of making things exciting and often rather dangerous. He climbed everything...