Tokyo International Airport, Japan, Dec. 10, 1960: Sir Edmund Hillary, mountaineer and explorer, addresses gathered journalists at Tokyo International Airport, Dec. 10, 1960. Sir Hillary is on his way to the United States from Nepal to have a scalp examined at the Chicago Museum of Natural History. Although Sir Hillary said he doesn’t believe there is an “abominable snowman,” he said that the scalp was “the only piece of evidence we haven’t found a rational explanation for.”

The scalp is on loan from the Nepalese village of Khumjung where it is kept at the Gompa (temple) and revered as the scalp of a Yeti. Accompanying Sir Hillary is Khunjo Chumbi (right), Khumjung village elder and a Sherpa — the ethnic group who are native to the high Himalaya mountain range of the eastern Nepal and Tibet and known for their moutaineering skills. Chumbi’s accompaniment was one of the conditions for Sir Hillary to borrow the scalp.

Sir Hillary’s skepticism about the scalp proved right as close scientific examination showed it was made from animal hides — most probably Himalayan serow — a goat antelope native to the region. The scalp was indeed returned to the village. A replica of it can be found at the Explorers Club, New York City. Read the 1960 interview with Sir Hillary here: https://www.stripes.com/migration/yeti-scalp-fails-to-convince-hillary-1.83312