TODAY IN HISTORY - OCTOBER 16: First Person To Scale Eight-Thousanders | The Million Man March
First Person To Scale Eight-Thousanders - 1986
The eight-thousanders are the 14 tallest and independent mountains on Earth that are over 26,247 feet above sea level. All eight-thousanders are located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia.
The eight-thousanders are the only mountains on the planet with death zones where the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is insufficient to sustain human life (about 30% of that at sea level).
The eight-thousanders, in order of magnitude are: Mount Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri I, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna I, Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II and Shishapangma.
However you measure them, these mountains are treacherous. They have massive and towering blocks of ice - seracs - which can crush climbers in seconds. They are prone to enormous avalanches of rocks and snow that obliterate entire expeditions. And they're home to spider webs of ice crevasses that swallow whole humans.
The three most dangerous of the eight thousanders are: Annapurna, K2, and Nanga Parbat. The claim the lives of about a climber for every four who reach the summit. The death rate of Annapurna, the most dangerous mountain in the world, is over 30 percent.
The Italian Reinhold Messner on 16 October 1986 became the first person to climb all the 14 eight-thousanders. Messner risked everything for fleeting views from the top of the world, climbing several of the eight-thousanders solo and without the aid of oxygen bottled. It took him 16 years (1970-1986) to climb all of them.
The Million Man March - 1995
October 16, 1995 was a historic day, it marked the occasion of the memorable Million Man March where African Americans from across the country gathered and rallied in Washington, DC to unite as part of a mission to restore and revitalize the black community.
It was called by Louis Farrakhan and was held on and around the National Mall.
The number of marchers ranged from 400,000 to nearly 1.1 million, ranking it among the largest gatherings of its kind in American history.
That day, there was a sea of black men, many of whom stood for 10 hours or more sharing, learning, listening, fasting, hugging, crying, laughing and praying.
The day produced a spirit of brotherhood, love and unity as never before experienced among black men in America.
All beliefs and classes were present: Christians, Muslims, Hebrews, agnostics, nationalists, pan-Africanists, civil rights organizations, fraternal organizations, rich, poor, celebrities and people from almost every organization. It was a day of atonement, reconciliation and responsibility.
THANK YOU FOR READING AND MAY THE ODDS BE EVER IN YOUR FAVOR
Source:
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov
Learned a new word today, Reinhold Messner = Dedication, it is amazing what we could achieve once we are dedicated to a cause. History is a good way to know things done in the past so we could improve the present and future. Good article.
We learn everyday on steemit. Thanks for this infomative post. @evelyniroh
Thanks for this great post
Informative and educative. Keep doing your thing.