The peak was first discovered in 1954 by the Basset Maguire's expedition to the north side of the mountain massif. It was later climbed during the first attempt to climb Pico da Neblina, by a Brazilian army expedition. It received its name (meaning "March 31 Peak" in Portuguese) as a self-homage by the military regime instated in Brazil a few months earlier on that date, in a coup d'état which was then officially called the "March 31 Revolution." The peak was finally reached in the following year by another army expedition to Pico da Neblina. The name was not changed after Brazil returned to democratic rule in 1985. The peak is known as Pico Phelps in Venezuela, and it is that country's highest point outside of the Andes.