Background
Tenzing Norgay was born Namgyal Wangdi, most likely in 1914 in either Nepal or Tibet. His father Ghang La Mingma was a yak herder and his mother was Dokmo Kinzom. Despite conflicting accounts of his early years, all agree he took his first breath near the Himalayas - the area that would one day make him famous for leading Hillary to its highest peak. His exact date of birth is not known. But since he accomplished his historic ascent of Everest on 29 May, he decided to celebrate his birthday on that day thereafter.
In his youth, his father took him to see a Lama at the Rongbuk Monastery, after which he changed his name to Tenzing Norgay. That translates as "wealthy fortunate follower of religion." This was something his father hoped he’d become, but ultimately Norgay chose another path.
Norgay spent his early childhood in Kharta, Tibet as the 11th of 13 children. As a young boy, he'd run away from home repeatedly, each time attempting to go off on a mountaineering adventure in Kathmandu, Nepal or Darjeeling, India. After sending him to a monastery to try his hand at being a monk, his parents sent him to Nepal to work for a sherpa family in Khumbu.