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Events on Saturday 31 July 1954 1
1954First ascent of K2Italian expedition reaches the world's second-highest peakClimbers Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni, members of an Italian expedition led by Ardito Desio, became the first to reach the summit of K2. At 8,611 meters, K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth and considerably more dangerous to climb than Everest. The ascent was a major achievement in Himalayan mountaineering.