Biographical entry
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Bright Sparcs
Biographical entry
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Humboldt, Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von (1769 - 1859)FRS |
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| Born: 14 September 1769 Berlin, Germany. Died: 6 May 1859 Berlin, Germany. | |
| (Baron) Friedrich Wilhelm H. A. von Humboldt was a renowned German explorer and prolific author. Initially his trips were confined to Europe, but in 1799 he set off for South and Central America where he made some of his most important finds. His discoveries were many and wide ranging and resulted in the creation and advancement of many scientific disciplines. Alexander von Humboldt discovered the fertilizing properties of guano (bat droppings), introduced the concept of isotherms in weather recording, and he studied the origin and course of tropical storms, the Earth’s magnetic fields and volcanoes. However he is probably most well known for his work on the relationship between plant distribution and geographical and environmental factors. The National Library of Australia has many of his written works in its collection. |
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| Alternative Names: von Humboldt, Alexander (Also known as) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Published by The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre on ASAPWeb, 1994 - 2007 Originally published 1994-1999 by Australian Science Archives Project, 1999-2006 by the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre Disclaimer, Copyright and Privacy Policy Submit any comments, questions, corrections and additions Prepared by: Acknowledgements Updated: 26 February 2007 http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P000509b.htm |