June 18

George Mallory served as a lieutenant in World War I before dedicating himself to mountaineering. He took part in the first three British expeditions to Everest between 1921 and 1924, famously answering 'Because it's there' when asked why he wished to climb the peak. Mallory and his partner Andrew Irvine disappeared during a summit attempt in 1924, and the exact fate of their climb remains unknown. His body was discovered in 1999, reigniting speculation about whether he reached the summit first. Mallory's ambition and writings inspired generations of climbers, and he is remembered as one of the pioneers of high-altitude mountaineering.

Vitaly M. Zholobov (born June 18, 1937) is a Ukrainian colonel, engineer, and former Soviet cosmonaut. Selected for the cosmonaut corps in 1978, he trained as a flight engineer and mission specialist. In 1980, he flew with Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez on Soyuz 38 to the Salyut 6 space station, conducting material science experiments. After retiring from the space program, he took leadership roles in aerospace engineering and served in the Ukrainian Air Force. He has been active in veterans' associations and educational outreach, promoting the history of space exploration. His mission marked a milestone in Soviet-Cuban cooperation and advanced research on long-duration flights.