Fritz Kasparek, Austrian mountaineer and author (b. 1910)
Fritz Kasparek (3 July 1910 – 6 June 1954) was an Austrian mountaineer who was on the team that made the first successful ascent of the Eiger north face.
Kasparek gained his first alpine experiences on the Peilstein in the Wienerwald and in the Ennstaler Alps. After Emilio Comici had been the first to climb the north face of the Cima Grande of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo in 1933, in February 1938 Kasparek and Sepp Brunnhuber made the first winter ascent.
On 24 July 1938, with Anderl Heckmair, Ludwig Vörg and Heinrich Harrer, he made the first ascent of the north face of the Eiger. This climb, previously deemed impossible and described by Reinhold Messner as "a glorious moment in the history of mountaineering and a great sensation, since several climbers had previously perished on the face", made headlines around the world and is recounted in Heinrich Harrer's 1958 book, The White Spider.
Kasparek died in 1954, falling to his death through a broken snow cornice near the peak of the Salcantay in Peru.
1954Jun, 6
Fritz Kasparek
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Events on 1954
- 13Feb
NCAA Division I
Frank Selvy becomes the only NCAA Division I basketball player ever to score 100 points in a single game. - 28Feb
NTSC
The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public. - 1Apr
United States Air Force Academy
United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorizes the creation of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. - 25Apr
Bell Labs
The first practical solar cell is publicly demonstrated by Bell Telephone Laboratories. - 18Jun
1954 Guatemalan coup d'état
Carlos Castillo Armas leads an invasion force across the Guatemalan border, setting in motion the 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état