Discovery of Sir George Mallory's body on Mount Everest

George Mallory went missing during a summit attempt in 1924. In 1999, a group of climbers discovered his body.

"The body was partially frozen into the scree and well preserved due to the cold, dry air and constant freezing temperatures; it was lying prone, fully extended, with both arms somewhat outstretched and the head pointed uphill. The right leg had broken, and the left leg was crossed over it, possibly for protection, suggesting the mountaineer was still consciously aware after coming to rest. The rear of the body was predominantly exposed, as the clothing had been partially destroyed by the elements and blown away by the wind. The exposed skin was bleached white, and although the corpse was frozen, purportedly, some elasticity remained in the frozen tissue; the hands and forearms appeared dark. Despite the body being notably intact, Everest's goraks had damaged the right leg, the buttocks, and the abdominal cavity by pecking at them and consuming most of the internal organs. Tied to the corpse's waist were the remnants of a braided cotton climbing rope, with some tangled around the body from which its broken frayed end trailed. On the right foot was an intact green leather hobnailed boot; only the tongue of the left boot remained, jammed between the left foot's bare toes and the heel of the right boot."

A pervasive theory is that Sir George Mallory was the first man to summit Everest. He said that when he summitted, he would leave a photograph of his wife at the top of Everest. When his body was found, he had no photograph with him.