Those famous words were spoken by British climber George Mallory in 1924 when he was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest. In August of that year Mallory and his partner Andrew Irvine disappeared on the way to the summit. The large scope of public grief over their demise marked the beginning of Everest's allure and fascination. On May 16, 2002, 54 climbers successfully reached the top of the mountain, a new single day record. Does this record mark the beginning of the end of Everest's mystique and attraction?
Ezra J. Whitaker Born in North Adams, Massachusetts. Appointed Third Assistant Engineer, 1861; frigate "Minnesota," N. A. Station 1861. Promoted to Second assistant Engineer, 1862; "Lackawanna", West Gulf Squadron, 1863-64. Steamer "Pontoosa", North Atlantic Squadron, 1864-5. Promoted to First Assistant Engineer, 1864; special duty, Boston, 1866: Steamer "Unadilla", Asiatic Squadron, 1866-67. "Monocacy", Asiatic Station , 1867-70; "Severn", N. A.
Pegram was a Virginia gentleman from an aristocratic family. He was also a professional soldier who answered his state’s call to rebellion. In battle he was courageous to a fault, and his officers and men generally responded to his leadership by example. But there was something wrong about his generalship.
The election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in 1860 is commonly viewed as the beginning of a chain of events that erupted into civil war in April 1861. Lincoln was the first member of the Republican Party elected to the presidency, a remarkable rise for a political party that had been in existence less than ten years. At the Republican Convention held in Chicago in 1860, Lincoln received his party’s nomination over several contenders, most notably William H. Seward of New York.