History

In 1852, an Indian mathematician, Radhanath

Sikdar, used measurements and trigonometry

to calculate the height of Peak XV in the

Himalayas (later to be named Mount Everest).

This required the use of a device that measured

angles from the ground to the top of an object.

By measuring the angle to the top of Peak XV

from two different spots, and knowing the

distance between these spots, Sikdar may have

come up with a drawing like the following: