Mount Everest: named after the first inspector General of India

For more than 150 years scientists have attempted to establish the exact height of Mount Everest. To resolve the issue, once and for all, Nepal has ordered a new survey of the world's highest mountain.

The peak was named after British surveyor George Everest in 1856. The story says that in 1852 Radhanath Sikhdar, a mathematician for the great trigonometric from India, discovered what he thought was the highest Summit of the world. Several years later this was confirmed and, despite the mountain already being called Chomolungma by Tibetans and Sagarmatha by the Nepalese, the British decided to name it after Colonel George Everest, head of research (although he was always a little embarrassed by honor).

In 1865, the mountain-formerly known as peak XV by the British-was officially renamed Everest.

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