Special Report

Alexander von Humboldt

Between the 1820s and 1850s Alexander von Humboldt was one of the most widely admired public figures in the world. In the U.S., the name of this international renowned scholar has vanished from the national memory, his ideas have not.

Smithsonian curator Eleanor Jones Harvey explains why this revolutionary 19th-century thought leader is due for a reconsideration

Meet the hugely influential Alexander von Humboldt, who foretold of climate change and inspired artists, writers and presidents

Beautiful and insightful, the illustrations of the German naturalist helped shape a new understanding of the world

When a European intellectual snubbed the U.S., the well-known artist excavated the giant fossil as evidence of the new Republic’s strength and power

The two male birds are ‘exemplary’ parents, says the zoo’s director

February 1, 2022

Critics cite the Berlin museum’s ties to the country’s colonialist past

July 23, 2021