Humboldt, << HUHM bohlt, >> Baron von (1769-1859), a German scientist, was a founder of modern geography. He made important contributions to plant geography, the study of Earth’s magnetism, and climatology. He drew the first map with isothermals (lines connecting points of the same temperature).
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt, usually called Alexander von Humboldt, was born on Sept. 14, 1769, in Berlin, into a noble family. He studied at Frankfurt-on-the-Oder, the University of Gottingen, and the Mining Academy in Freiberg. From 1792 to 1796, he worked in the Prussian mining service. There, he made improvements in mining technology, including the invention of a safety lamp. From 1799 to 1804, Humboldt traveled in Mexico, Central America, and South America. His careful observation of geology, climate, and biology of those areas established his scientific reputation. From 1804 to 1827, he lived mainly in Paris.
Humboldt spent most of his remaining years in Berlin, helping establish it as a scientific center. In 1829, he explored the Ural Mountains and Central Asia to report on mineral resources for the czar of Russia. He died on May 6, 1859.
Humboldt was a major popularizer of science. His writings include the five-volume work Cosmos (1845-1862), an enormously popular account of the physical universe.
