1426. Where air is rare

Edmund Hillary had quite a pair
As most men would have turned down the dare
Although first up Mt. Everest
He wasn't the cleverest,
When asked why he did, "'Cause it's there."

"Because it's there" is one of the most misattributed quotes of all time -- possibly because the person who really said it has a name that sounds so similar to Sir Edmund's.  It was actually spoken by George Mallory, another British climber who tried three times to conquer the mountain in the early 1920's -- and without extra oxygen (!)  He and his climbing partner "died trying" on the third attempt.