Who became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1975?

Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1975.

The Japanese climber reached the 8,849-metre summit on 16 May 1975, as part of an all-women Japanese expedition. Ang Tshering Sherpa accompanied her during the final ascent. Tabei’s achievement came 22 years after Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first successful ascent.

An avalanche struck the expedition’s Camp II before the summit attempt, burying tents and climbers. Tabei survived and continued the climb after the team rebuilt its route. Her success helped challenge the assumption that Himalayan expedition climbing was primarily a male pursuit.

Tabei later became the first woman to climb the highest mountain on every continent, completing the Seven Summits in 1992. She is sometimes confused with Bachendri Pal, who became the first Indian woman to summit Everest in 1984.