1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is production of iHeartRadio. Hello 2 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: and welcome to This Day in History Class, a show 3 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: that scales the peaks of history one day at a time. 4 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lucier and today we're talking about a bittersweet 5 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: achievement in the sport of mountain climbing, the triumphant struggled 6 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: to the top of the Matterhorn and the disastrous descent 7 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:42,880 Speaker 1: that followed it. The day was July fourteenth, eighteen sixty five. 8 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: British climber Edward Whimper and six companions completed the first 9 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: ascent of the Matterhorn. The seven man team reached the 10 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: summit of the Matterhorn after a fairly uneventful climb up 11 00:00:56,800 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: the Swiss side of the mountain. Unfortunately, the trip back 12 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: down the peak proved far more treacherous, and when one 13 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 1: of the team's ropes gave way, four of the climbers 14 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: wound up plummeting to their deaths. The tragic event is 15 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: now considered the symbolic end to the so called Golden 16 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: Age of Alpinism. That term refers to the decade between 17 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty four and eighteen sixty five, when many of 18 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 1: the mountains that make up the Alp were summitted for 19 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: the first time. Those pioneering alpinists, most of whom were British, 20 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:36,520 Speaker 1: relied on rudimentary equipment and techniques, yet their expeditions yielded 21 00:01:36,560 --> 00:01:41,800 Speaker 1: surprisingly few fatalities. That Sterling record ended with the first 22 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: ascent of the matter Horn, and from then on casualties 23 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: in the Alps became increasingly common. The name Matterhorn means 24 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: the peak in the Meadows in German. It's a reference 25 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 1: to the mountain's idyllic location, nestled on the border between 26 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: the sloping meadows of Switzerland in Italy. At nearly fifteen 27 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 1: thousand feet tall, the Matterhorn is only the sixth highest 28 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:09,920 Speaker 1: mountain in the Alps, but it's arguably the most recognizable 29 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: mountain in the world due to its distinctive pyramid shaped peak. 30 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: Oh and there's also a famous ride based on the 31 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,919 Speaker 1: Matterhorn at Disneyland, so it's got that going for it too. 32 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,400 Speaker 1: The Matterhorn was also one of the last major peaks 33 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,520 Speaker 1: in the Alps to be summitted. Plenty of attempts had 34 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: been made prior to eighteen sixty five, but none of 35 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: them succeeded, either from the Italian side or from the 36 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: Swiss side. This led many mountaineers to conclude the Matterhorn 37 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 1: was just too difficult to climb, but one British artist 38 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: turned mountaineer refused to stop trying. Edward Whimper first visited 39 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: the Alps in eighteen sixty, when he was twenty years old, 40 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: on an assignment as a wood engraver. He had been 41 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: commissioned to create a series of illustrations of major Alpine peaks, 42 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 1: and to get better acquainted with his subjects, he began 43 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,799 Speaker 1: hiking through them and making sketches along the way. By 44 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: the end of that summer, Whimper had gained a new 45 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: appreciation for the majesty of the mountains and for the 46 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,239 Speaker 1: challenges they posed to the people who sought to climb them. 47 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: He decided to become a mountaineer himself, and for the 48 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 1: next four years he returned to the Alps each summer, 49 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: gradually improving his climbing ability and tackling peaks of increasing complexity. 50 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: Wimper also made seven attempts to summit the Matterhorn during 51 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: this time. He was joined in most of those efforts 52 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: by an Italian guide named Jean Antoine Correll. Year after year, 53 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: the pair tried one approach and then another, with each 54 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: failure spurring them on to try again. Eventually, Wimper became 55 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: convinced that the Swiss side of the mountain was the 56 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: most accessible and that an approach beginning at the Zermatt 57 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: Glacier would be their best bet. However, the partnership between 58 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: he and Correll had soured by that point, with the 59 00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 1: guide believing that a native Italian, not a brit should 60 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,520 Speaker 1: have the honor of conquering the mountain first. The two 61 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 1: parted ways in eighteen sixty five, just prior to the 62 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,480 Speaker 1: start of Whimper's approach from Zermat. Correll quickly teamed up 63 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: with a group of Italian climbers and began leading them 64 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: up the Italian side of the mountain. That left Whimper 65 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: scrambling to find a new team of his own, which 66 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,919 Speaker 1: he eventually did by recruiting climbers who happened to be 67 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: in or around the small mountain town of Zermat. At 68 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 1: the time, seven men joined him at the outset, most 69 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:41,119 Speaker 1: of whom had very little experience climbing mountains. They set 70 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: off on July thirteenth, climbing a little over eleven thousand 71 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: feet or about thirty four hundred meters before establishing their 72 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: base camp and settling in for the night. The next morning, 73 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: one of the climbers, Joseph Taugwalder, decided he'd had enough 74 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:01,359 Speaker 1: and returned to Zermat. That left seven men to complete 75 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:07,320 Speaker 1: the ascent, Edward Whimper, Michel Cross, Charles Hudson, Douglas Haddow, 76 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:12,679 Speaker 1: Lord Francis Douglas, Peter Taugwalder, and his son Peter Junior, 77 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: the brother of the man who turned back. The team 78 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: set out at dawn and ascended the east face of 79 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 1: the mountain with relative ease. They reached the foot of 80 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 1: the upper peak just before ten a m. Then they 81 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,160 Speaker 1: crossed over the ridge line to the north face, where 82 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: the slope was gentler. At that point, with just a 83 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: few hundred feet left to go, Whimper and Craws detached 84 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: themselves from the team's rope and began sprinting toward the summit, 85 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 1: with the others following behind. Whimper later recounted his moment 86 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: of triumph and a memoir titled Scrambles among the Alps. 87 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: The slope eased off, he wrote, and kras and I, 88 00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:54,919 Speaker 1: dashing away, ran a neck and neck race which ended 89 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: in a dead heat. At one forty p m. The 90 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 1: world was at our feet and the matter Horn was conquered. Hurrah. 91 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: Not a footstep could be seen. The lack of footprints 92 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:10,960 Speaker 1: meant that Correll's party hadn't beaten them to the top, 93 00:06:11,440 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: and indeed, when the pair looked over, they spotted the 94 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:18,360 Speaker 1: opposing team on the opposite ridge, still about six hundred 95 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: and fifty feet below the summit. As for Whimper's group, 96 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:25,039 Speaker 1: they spent roughly an hour at the top of the 97 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: matter Horn, marveling at their well earned view. Whimper recalled 98 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: the scene in his memoir, writing quote, there were forests 99 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: black and gloomy, and meadows bright and lively, bounding waterfalls 100 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:44,039 Speaker 1: and tranquil lakes, fertile lands and savage wastes, sunny plains 101 00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 1: and frigid plateau. There were the most rugged forms and 102 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:54,359 Speaker 1: the most graceful outlines, bold perpendicular cliffs and gentle, undulating slopes, 103 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:59,200 Speaker 1: rocky mountains and snowy mountains, somber and solemn or glittering 104 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 1: in white, with walls, turrets, pinnacles, pyramids, domes, cones, and spires. 105 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: There was every combination that the world can give, and 106 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: every contrast that the heart could desire. After enjoying what 107 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: he called a crowded hour of glorious life, Whimper and 108 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: his team began the perilous trek back down the mountain. 109 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:25,240 Speaker 1: They descended in a rope line, with mountain guide Michelle 110 00:07:25,280 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 1: Kraus in the lead, followed by Douglas Hadow, Charles Hudson, 111 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:33,600 Speaker 1: Lord Francis Douglas, Peter Taugwalder Senior, and then his son 112 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: and Edward Whimper pulling up the rear. Roughly an hour 113 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 1: into the descent, Hadow slipped and fell into cross, knocking 114 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: them both off the cliff face. As they fell, Hudson 115 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: and Douglas were pulled along with them. Luckily, Whimper and 116 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 1: the Taugwalders were able to brace themselves in time and 117 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:55,720 Speaker 1: keep from falling. They held onto the rope with all 118 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: their might and tried desperately to secure it as the 119 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,760 Speaker 1: four men at the other end dangled helplessly. Then a 120 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:08,560 Speaker 1: moment later, the rope broke for a few seconds. Wimper wrote, 121 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 1: we saw our unfortunate companions sliding downward on their backs 122 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: and spreading out their hands, endeavoring to save themselves. They 123 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: passed from our sight uninjured, disappeared one by one and 124 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: fell from precipice to precipice onto the Matterhorn Glacier below, 125 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: a distance of nearly four thousand feet in height. From 126 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: the moment the rope broke, it was impossible to help them. 127 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:38,360 Speaker 1: It was later determined that the team had been using 128 00:08:38,400 --> 00:08:42,360 Speaker 1: the oldest, weakest rope they had one, which had only 129 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: been brought along as a backup to be used as 130 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 1: a last resort. It's unclear why that rope was used 131 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,239 Speaker 1: for the descent, though it was likely just an oversight 132 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: brought on by a mix of fatigue and euphoria from 133 00:08:55,640 --> 00:08:59,160 Speaker 1: having reached the top of the mountain. Whimper and the 134 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 1: Taugwalders made it back to Zermat on the morning of 135 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 1: July fifteen. A rescue expedition was launched the following day, 136 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: with Whimper joining in the effort. After several days of searching, 137 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 1: the bodies of cross, Hadow and Hudson were recovered and 138 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: brought back to town for burial, but the body of 139 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: Lord Francis Douglas was never found. The tragic end to 140 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: the expedition shocked the British public, who until that point 141 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:28,960 Speaker 1: had mostly viewed the sport of mountain climbing as a 142 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,840 Speaker 1: way to bring glory to crown and country without the 143 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:35,320 Speaker 1: need for bloodshed. But the death of four climbers and 144 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 1: a single accident challenged the rosy perception of the sport. 145 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 1: Queen Victoria in particular was deeply disturbed by the death 146 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 1: of Lord Francis Douglas. In fact, she considered issuing a 147 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:51,680 Speaker 1: ban on mountaineering altogether, pledging that she would never again 148 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,959 Speaker 1: allow English royal blood to be wasted on such a 149 00:09:55,000 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 1: foolish endeavor. In the end, the Queen's ban was never implemented, 150 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: and her suggestion wound up sparking new interest in the sport. 151 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:09,439 Speaker 1: Alpinists from England and beyond began flocking to zermat In droves, 152 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: curious to see if they too could sum at the 153 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 1: Matterhorn and hopefully have better luck on the way back down. 154 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:20,360 Speaker 1: The popularity of mountain climbing and of the Matterhorn itself 155 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: continued to grow from that point on, fueled by the 156 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:29,080 Speaker 1: compelling mix of triumph and tragedy that characterized Whimper's first ascent. 157 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:33,600 Speaker 1: In the years since then, an estimated five hundred people 158 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:37,320 Speaker 1: have lost their lives attempting to climb the Matterhorn. A 159 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 1: metal cross now stands at the mountain's peak as a 160 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 1: monument to their memory, and at the Matterhorn Museum in 161 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:47,559 Speaker 1: Zermat Below there's another kind of memorial to the mountain's 162 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:52,319 Speaker 1: first victims, a piece of broken rope displayed behind glass 163 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:57,079 Speaker 1: on a velvet pillow. As for Edward Whimper, he went 164 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: on many more expeditions before his death than nineteen teen eleven, 165 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:04,440 Speaker 1: at the age of seventy one, shortly after his last 166 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,800 Speaker 1: expedition of the Alps, But for all that time he 167 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 1: remained haunted by his experience on the Matterhorn. He spoke 168 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 1: of it often in lecture halls, in periodicals, and in 169 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 1: personal correspondence. He seemed desperate to prove the accident wasn't 170 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: his fault, as some had claimed, but it's clear he 171 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 1: was never fully able to put the incident behind him. 172 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:33,840 Speaker 1: Years later, Wimper described that lingering trauma, writing quote, every night, 173 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: do you understand I see my comrades of the Matterhorn 174 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:42,440 Speaker 1: slipping on their backs, their arms outstretched one after the other, 175 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:47,560 Speaker 1: in perfect order, at equal distances. Kraus the guide first, 176 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 1: then Hadau, then Hudson, and lastly Douglas. Yes, I shall 177 00:11:53,440 --> 00:12:00,480 Speaker 1: always see them. I'm Gabe Lucier and hopefully you now 178 00:12:00,559 --> 00:12:04,199 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 179 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,719 Speaker 1: You can learn even more about history by following us 180 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 1: on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TDI HC Show, and 181 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,240 Speaker 1: if you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to 182 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 1: drop me a line by writing to This Day at 183 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:23,560 Speaker 1: iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays and Ben Hackett 184 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:26,079 Speaker 1: for producing the show, and thanks to you for listening. 185 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:29,360 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again soon for another day 186 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 1: in history class.