Why is standard guitar tuning EADGBE?

The standard guitar tuning of EADGBE offers consistency and convenience. The interval between each successive pair of strings is a perfect fourth, except the major third interval between G and B, making some figures and phrases 'translate' horizontally across the neck. The perfect fourth interval helps avoid long finger stretches in comparison to the perfect fifth intervals on smaller instruments like the violin. The introduction of a major third between G and B means that the total interval between 1st and 6th string is 24 semitones, or 2 octaves, making the open guitar strings fall more easily into chords, aiding fretting of basic chords with fewer fingers.