Junko Tabei, the first woman to successfully climb Mount Everest, died on Thursday. She was 77. In 1975, when she was 35 years old, Tabei became the first woman to reach the top of the 29,000-foot peak. She was diagnosed with cancer four years ago. Beyond climbing Everest, Tabei also was the first woman to climb the highest mountains on seven continents. She last scaled a mountain in 2011 when she climbed Mt. Fuji, according to Japan’s public broadcasting service.
