Annie Smith Peck

Mountain climber and author Annie Smith Peck was born on October 19, 1850, in Providence, Rhode Island. After graduating from college, Annie worked as a teacher. She went to Europe in 1884 to study in Germany. The next year Smith became the first woman to attend the American School of Classical Studies in Athens.

At this time, Annie’s hobby of mountain climbing was not something that many people did. There were not very many female climbers. It was dangerous to climb very high because oxygen tanks and other special climbing tools did not exist yet.

Annie climbed in Switzerland and continued exploring and climbing in the Americas. In Mexico, she climbed higher than any woman ever had. She wanted to climb higher than any man or woman, so she climbed Mount Huascarán in Peru in 1908. When she reached the top, she set the record for the highest climb in the Western Hemisphere. The mountain she climbed was even named after her!

Annie Smith Peck explored much of South America and wrote a book about her adventures climbing. She supported women’s right to vote and wrote many guidebooks about South America.