© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Why No One Can Agree What’s Really the Tallest Mountain

Season 10 Episode 9 | 8m 29s

What's the tallest mountain on Earth? It might seem like an easy question to answer, but in reality it's one that brings up more NEW questions than answers. It turns out that the way we measure mountains rests on a lot of approximations, assumptions, and averages. And when you dig into those, there's several contenders for the tallest mountain, each with their own good case for the title.

Aired: 07/21/22
Extras
Historian Annette Gordon-Reed. The American Revolution premieres November 16.
Step behind the scenes of Ken Burns’s new film to see how The American Revolution came to life.
The filmmakers discuss how the story of The American Revolution came together.
The filmmakers on how understanding the people of the Revolution can help us understand who we are.
The filmmakers discuss how they crafted imagery to help tell the story of the American Revolution.
Historian Stephen Conway. The American Revolution premieres November 16.
Historian Christopher Brown. The American Revolution premieres November 16.
Historian Jane Kamensky. The American Revolution premieres November 16.
Historian Stephen Conway on the psychological impact of Saratoga on the British.
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a new six-part, 12-hour documentary from Ken Burns.
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Be Smart Season 13
  • Be Smart Season 12
  • Be Smart Season 11
  • Be Smart Season 10
  • Be Smart Season 9
  • Be Smart Season 8
  • Be Smart Season 7
  • Be Smart Season 6
  • Be Smart Season 5
  • Be Smart Season 4
  • Be Smart Season 3
  • Be Smart Season 2
  • Be Smart Season 1
Seedless fruits are delicious, convenient… and completely unnatural.
What does randomness really mean? And why your digital life depend on it?
Why do we have different blood types? And why do we have blood at all?
How did dinosaurs become birds—and what good is half a wing?
Just how big would a telescope need to be to actually see an alien world in detail?
Dire wolves are back—sort of.
The key enzyme behind photosynthesis isn’t actually all that great at its job.
The oldest rocks on Earth are more than just ancient—they’re time machines!
This is one of the weirdest mysteries of human evolution: Why do we have grandmas?
Insects and birds have an awesome superpower that repels water and keeps them airborne in the rain.