Hidden deep within the Venezuelan jungle stands the tallest waterfall in the world. It’s so tall, rising to a height of 3,212 ft, that the roaring torrent of falling water is reduced to a mere mist before meeting the rocks below. Due to its remote location, the magnificent cascade wasn’t known to the outside world until 16 November, 1933, when American aviator Jimmie Angel chanced a glimpse of it from the cockpit of his monoplane. Four years later, Angel, with his wife and three companions ventured back to the falls, hiking eleven days through the jungle. When they returned, word spread quickly of his discovery–named Angel Falls in his honor.

So it remained, named after that lucky American aviator who first laid eyes on the falls–that is until December 20, when Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez declared: “No one should refer to Angel Falls anymore.”