Junko Tabei: The First Woman to Summit Mount Everest - Biography & Details

The first women to reach Mount Everest was Junko Tabei of Japan. She reached the summit on May 16, 1975, together with Sherpa Ang Tshering. Tabei was born on September 22, 1939, in Miharu, Fukushima, Japan. She began climbing mountains in her early twenties and quickly became one of the most accomplished mountaineers in Japan. In 1972, she led the first all-women's expedition to Mount Annapurna, which is the tenth highest mountain in the world. After her successful summit of Everest, she continued to climb mountains and promote the sport of mountaineering for women. She died on October 20, 2016, at the age of 77.