Edward Whymper
The Victorian mountaineer who made the first ascent of the Matterhorn, a triumph forever shadowed by the deadly disaster on the descent.
1840–1911 (age 71)·English mountaineer·Birthday: April 27
Biography
Edward Whymper began as a London engraver sent to sketch the Alps, but the mountains consumed him. Driven by a fierce ambition to be first, he became a leading figure in the golden age of alpinism. His 1865 conquest of the Matterhorn was the era's crowning achievement, but it turned to tragedy when four of his seven-man team fell to their deaths during the descent, a rope break witnessed by Whymper. The event haunted him and cast a long shadow over mountaineering. He channeled his energies into exploration, mapping the Canadian Rockies and making early attempts on peaks in the Andes and Greenland. A meticulous writer and illustrator, his book 'Scrambles Amongst the Alps' remains a classic, a testament to both the sublime beauty and the stark peril of the high places he helped pioneer.
#1 When Edward Was Born
The biggest hits of 1840
Edward's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1840Born
1845Started school
1853Became a teenager
1856Could drive
1858Could vote
1861Turned 21
President: Abraham Lincoln
1870Turned 30
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1880Turned 40
Edison patents the incandescent light bulb
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1890Turned 50
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1900Turned 60
Boxer Rebellion in China
President: William McKinley
1910Turned 70
Halley's Comet makes its closest approach
President: William Howard Taft
1911Died at 71
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
Key Achievements
- Led the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn on July 14, 1865.
- Made multiple first ascents in the Mont Blanc massif and the Pennine Alps, including the Aiguille Verte and Grandes Jorasses.
- Conducted the first detailed exploration of the interior of Greenland in 1867, advancing Arctic geography.
- Published the influential mountaineering book 'Scrambles Amongst the Alps' in 1871.
Did You Know?
He designed the tent known as the 'Whymper tent,' which became standard issue for early polar expeditions.
The famous rope that broke during the Matterhorn descent is preserved in the Zermatt museum.
He later turned to geological and glacial studies, publishing works on the effects of altitude on boiling point.
A peak in the Canadian Rockies, Mount Whymper, is named in his honor.
“Do nothing in haste, look well to each step, and from the beginning think what may be the end.”
