We take for granted things that were once considered impossible. History witnessed pilot Charles Lindbergh flying solo across the Atlantic Ocean, runner Roger Bannister cracking the 4-minute mile, and mountain climber Edmund Hillary conquering Mount Everest. All were tremendous achievements, but nothing was quite like the technological ...

There's got to be some direct relationship these days between the bad behaviour of the Twickenham crowd and the feebleness of the English team. When the Twickers faithful launched into an insanely enthusiastic rendition of 'Swing Low' as the All Blacks went into the haka last weekend, you knew there was trouble in store. The haka should happen in ...

Will the Queen's absence at Sir Edmund Hillary's funeral spark a republican revolution in New Zealand? Sir Edmund and Queen Elizabeth II made for an odd double act. But they have always been closely linked in the public mind since Hillary's ascent of Everest was announced on the day of the Queen's coronation in 1953. Both ...

A New Zealand pizza chain has withdrawn an advertisement showing the corpses of actor Heath Ledger, Britain's Queen Mother and Mount Everest conqueror Sir Edmund Hillary dancing on a grave. The animated Halloween promotion advertisement on the Hell Pizza website shows the three decomposing celebrities emerging from graves and dancing to Michael Jackson's song "Thriller". Ledger and Hillary ...