Moral of the story? Impress your students, they might name a mountain after you.
Wikimedia CommonsGeorge Everest
Sir George Everest was thegreatest surveyor in British account . In 1823 , he direct over as superintendent of the survey of India after his predecessor slip away away , and then the bring in the place of surveyor general of India seven years later .
Because of Everest ’s highly accurate maps of India , he receive a rummy honor . Mount Everest , the world ’s highest vizor , bears his name .
Wikimedia CommonsGeorge Everest
Who Was George Everest?
Everest ’s interest group in surveying pass back to his days at military school in England . The young man excelled at his engineering science preparation , and he ship on a seven - year tour in Bengal from 1806 to 1813 . In 1814 , Everest relocate to the Dutch East Indies where he helped complete the trigonometric sketch of Java for two years .
Lambton died in 1823 , which give Everest a chance to bring his full breeding to hold . In 1830 , Everest became surveyor general of India . That allowed him to get even more resource to continue the mammoth survey of India .
Taking exact measuring of a huge country with a wide kitchen stove of climates . surveyor trekkedthrough dull jungles and sear desert . At one point , Everest fall ill . The view ground to a stop . Undeterred , Everest recovered and return to his job .
Wikimedia CommonsA theodolite, a device that Everest and his team used to survey the Indian subcontinent.
Wikimedia CommonsA theodolite , a equipment that Everest and his squad used to survey the Amerind subcontinent .
Everest was more than just a surveyor , he was an inventor . As an engineer , he made several improvements to surveying equipment of the day . His team made exact measurements from the Himalayas all the way down to the southern backsheesh of the Indian subcontinent , an awe - exhort achievement view it was done by taking measurements on the ground without the financial aid of high - tech laser , satellites or aerial photos . resume team began with rude theodolite before Everest ameliorate these twist .
Everest was also a stickler for accuracy . He did n’t entrust an region until he made certain he got accurate readings and datum . His information helped make the most precise maps of India .
Wikimedia CommonsAndrew Scott Waugh, Everest’s successor.
Everest retired from his position in 1843 as a colonel in the armed forces . For his hard study , Mount Everestwas identify for him in 1856 .
A Mountain For A Man
A mathematician knead on the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India named Radhanath Sikhdar discovered that the hatful was the gamey in the world in 1852 . He reported his determination to Andrew Scott Waugh , Everest ’s predecessor as surveyor general .
Wikimedia CommonsAndrew Scott Waugh , Everest ’s replacement .
Four old age after , Waugh decidedto name the world ’s highest prime after Everest . Waugh felt it was an appropriate honor for the man who oversaw the large part of the India survey .
Wikimedia CommonsMount Everest, the mountain George Everest never saw in his lifetime.
Mount Everest became the English name of the earth ’s highest tip , even though locals already had a name for it . The mountain was calledChomolungmaby the Tibetans andSagarmathaby the Nepalese . The English finally had a name for it , despite the objection of Everest himself .
Five year after the assignment of Mount Everest , the former surveyor full general received a knighthood from Queen Victoria for his contributions to Britain . Five days later , in 1866 , Everest died peacefully in England after a satisfy life .
There are two major ironies to this story .
The first is that Everest in all likelihood never saw the pinnacle that bears his name . He draw back in 1843 , and British survey teams had not yet gone into Nepal to measure out the mountains there . Everest had a mountain named for him plainly because of his reputation and because worker on the view adore him .
Wikimedia CommonsMount Everest , the mountain George Everest never saw in his life .
The second irony revolves around the orthoepy of the wad in English . Most people enounce the mountain “ Ever - est . ” The late surveyor , who was a Welshman , said his name was “ Eve - ease , ” with an emphasis on “ Eve ” with a long “ due east ” audio . That means everyone should sound out the name differently , at least in English , perhaps with a tenuous Welsh accent mark .
The next sentence you think about batch climb , recollect Sir George Everest . He was a famous surveyor , not a plenty crampoon , who created the most accurate mathematical function of India at the clip . The maps were all thanks to ambitious survey team working on the priming and technical improvements he made to primitive devices .
And remember to pronounce it “ Eve - rest ” instead of “ Ever - est . ”
Next , look into out the instant that climbersdiscovered George Mallory ’s bodyon Mount Everest . Then , read about all the peoplewho’ve died up there , and why their torso have never been moved .
