What OS do I need to install first on my Mac after a HD wipe?

Hi, I am doing my annual HD wipe on a 2008 iMac and I keep forgetting which OS is the most recent that I can install FIRST.  If i recall correctly I couldn't just put Mavericks on last time, I needed Mountain Lion or Snow Leopard (can't remember which).  I have Mavericks now, but I am planning on going to Yosemite.  Also, if there is anyone with a computer as old as mine that has an argument on why i should NOT upgrade to Yosemite, please let me know.  Thanks.
current computer :
imac 24"
Early 2008
Processor  3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory  6 GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Software  OS X 10.9.5

If you made a bootable USB drive of your Mavericks installer, you can boot to that and install Mavericks directly. There's no need to install an older OS first. Likewise, if you have a separate bootable drive with the downloaded Mavericks .dmg installer anywhere you can get at it, you can run the installer from there, then choose the erased drive as the target to install Mavericks too. Again, without having to install an older OS there beforehand.
Macs with 4GB of RAM are not faring well with Yosemite. More features means more hardware requirements. You have 6GB, which may be alright for Yosemite, though I would personally recommend 8 as a real use minimum.

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