Who was George Everest, after whom Mount Everest was named?
Sir George Everest, born on July 4, 1790, was a British geographer who led the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, that mapped the subcontinent for 2,400 km extending towards the Himalayas. Everest also served as the Surveyor-General of India from 1830-1843. In 1865, the world's highest peak, then called Peak XV, was renamed to Mount Everest in his honour.