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.

Highlights

In the U.S., although Humboldt’s name has vanished, his ideas have not (above: <em>Humboldt in His Library</em> (detail) by Eduard Hildebrandt, 1856).

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

Who Was Alexander von Humboldt?

This marks the first time the fossil has been back in America since 1847, when it made its way through Europe and ultimately ended up at The Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt in Germany.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

This Mastodon Is a Centerpiece of an Art Exhibition. Why?

Scientific illustrations, Humboldt once wrote, should “speak to the senses without fatiguing the mind.” His famous illustration of Chimborazo volcano in Ecuador shows plant species living at different elevations.

The Pioneering Maps of Alexander von Humboldt

Smithsonian Magazine

The Humboldt Forum opened in the heart of Berlin on July 20.

Why Germany's Newly Opened Humboldt Forum Is So Controversial

When Alexander von Humboldt (right) traveled to England in 1790, he met a young chemist named James Smithson, the founder of the Smithsonian. Humboldt's influence still resonates throughout the massive museum and research complex.

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How the Revolutionary Thinker Alexander von Humboldt Helped to Create the Smithsonian

Smithsonian Voices

Before There Was Beyoncé, There Was Humboldt

Designing Humboldt: Five Questions With Karen Siatras

A Brush With Nature: Alexander von Humboldt and Frederic Church