Alexander von Humboldt

14 September 1769 – 6 May 1859

Alexander von Humboldt was a Prussian naturalist, geographer, and explorer whose five-year expedition through the Americas laid foundations for the fields of physical geography, biogeography, and ecology. His multivolume work Kosmos attempted a unified scientific description of the universe, and he was among the most famous scientists of his age.

Comparing
Compare

Lived at the same time

Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Alexander von Humboldt.

Life events

Born in Berlin, Prussia
14 September 1769

Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt was born into a prominent Prussian family in Berlin.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Studied at the University of Göttingen
1789

Humboldt studied sciences at Göttingen, where he met the naturalist Georg Forster, who stimulated his interest in scientific travel.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Education ✓
Appointed Prussian mining inspector
1792

After training at the Freiberg School of Mines, Humboldt joined the Prussian mining service and rose rapidly through its ranks.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Departed on his expedition to the Americas
5 June 1799 – August 1804

With botanist Aimé Bonpland, Humboldt sailed from Spain on a five-year scientific expedition through Spanish America.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relocation ✓
Attempted the ascent of Chimborazo
23 June 1802

Humboldt and his companions climbed to a then-record altitude on the Ecuadorian volcano Chimborazo, an experience that shaped his ideas about plant geography.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Settled in Paris to publish his expedition results
1804

After returning from the Americas, Humboldt lived mainly in Paris for over two decades, producing the vast multivolume account of his voyage.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relocation ✓
Returned to Berlin and delivered the Kosmos lectures
1827

Humboldt moved back to Berlin at the king's request and gave a famous series of public lectures on physical geography that drew huge audiences.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Relocation ✓
Led a scientific expedition across Russia
1829

At the invitation of Tsar Nicholas I, Humboldt traveled through the Urals and Siberia to the Altai Mountains and the Caspian Sea.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Career ✓
Published the first volume of Kosmos
1845

The first volume of Kosmos, Humboldt's attempt to unify all scientific knowledge of the natural world, appeared and became a bestseller across Europe.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Died in Berlin
6 May 1859

Humboldt died at age 89 and was honored with a state funeral by Prussia.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Death ✓