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George EverestEnglish geographer and surveyor, whose name is given to the highest peak in the world
Date of Birth: 04.07.1790
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Biography of George Everest
George Everest, an English geographer and geodesist, was born on July 4, 1790, in Wales.
Early Life and Career
At the age of 16, Everest graduated from military school and was sent to serve in India. There, he started working in the Survey of India and went on an expedition to the island of Java, where he stayed from 1814 to 1816. He was later transferred back to India. From 1818, he worked with William Lambton on the geodetic survey of India. After years of hard work, Everest significantly improved Indian geodesy and cartography. Under his leadership, the highest mountain peaks of the Himalayas were identified, although their heights were not measured.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1843, already a colonel, George Everest retired and returned to England. He started a family and had six children. In 1861, he was knighted and became the Vice-President of the Royal Geographical Society the following year. In 1852, Everest's student, Andrew Waugh, determined the height of the Himalayan peaks identified by George Everest. He concluded that one of these mountain peaks was the highest point in the world. In 1865, this peak was named Mount Everest in recognition of his geographical achievements. It is worth noting that Everest himself was against this decision. However, his esteemed colleagues from the Royal Geographical Society, of which he had been Vice-President since 1862, insisted on it. The distinguished scientist passed away on December 1, 1866, and was buried in Greenwich, England. George Everest's niece, Mary Everest, was the wife of the renowned English mathematician George Boole and the mother of the writer Ethel Lilian Voynich.
