A History Of The World’s Highest Mountains

Nearly everyone knows that Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world, but that wasn’t always a known fact. The western world knew little of Everest until 1852, when the ongoing British government’s charting of India discovered that it was likely the tallest mountain in the Himalayas and in the world. So what was considered to be the tallest mountain before the discovery of Everest? Curiosity Dude explored this history of the world’s highest mountains.

The Earth is full of tall peaks, so it isn’t surprising to learn that people all around the planet thought the massive summit they could see was the tallest in the world. As an additional note, while Everest does reach the highest altitude on Earth, there are other summits that could theoretically claim to be taller than Everest. Mauna Kea, for example, is the tallest mountain from base to peak, stretching 33,476 feet even though most of it is under water.

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