Born: 4 February 1943, Lithuania
Died: 12 or 13 May 1992
Country most active: International
Also known as: Wanda Błaszkiewicz
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Wanda Rutkiewicz, an accomplished Polish mountaineer, was born in Płungiany (now in Lithuania) in 1943. She was the first European woman to summit Mount Everest. Her notable achievements include being the first woman to climb K2 (1986) and obtaining eight of the world’s fourteen eight-thousanders, although her goal was to become the first woman to climb all fourteen. Rutkiewicz’s climbs spanned across the Himalayas, Karakorum, and other mountain ranges, including Nanga Parbat, Shishapangma, Gasherbrum I and II, Cho Oyu, and Annapurna. Her life ended tragically while attempting Kanchenjunga, where she disappeared in 1992, and her body was never found.