How did aviation industry come to know about the drastic difference in air pressure in high altitude? After watching many documentaries about air plane crashes, it seems that aviation industry learned many of its lessons from disasters. For example, from the 2 mid-air explosion of de Havilland DH 106 Comet in 1950s they learned a lot about metal fatigue that can cause Explosive decompression. So, I'm curious to know how did the industry come to know about the drastic difference in air pressure that occurs in high altitude? Was the knowledge already there before an airplane was even invented?
The entire reason why the Comet broke up in midair is because they pressurized the plane in the first place.

It was known for a long time that air at high altitude was thinner. This can be experimentally verified by taking a barometer up to a mountain. This was first done in 1648 (and subject to hot debate regarding the nature of air) more than 250 years before the Wright brothers first flew.