UNIDAD EDUCATIVA PARTICULAR “SAN JOSÉ DE CALASANZ”

Name:……………………………………… Date: ……….…………………

Grade: 2do bachillerato Subject: History and Social Sciences

PART IV: Who was Alexander Von Humboldt?

Alexander Von Humboldt

His last name is something most animal lovers would have already heard of
because of the Humboldt squid that lives in the Humboldt Current. This was
named after Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt. Simply called
Alexander von Humboldt, he was a notable Prussian geographer, explorer, and
naturalist. He is widely recognized for his works on botanical geography which is
what laid the foundation for biogeography.

EarlyLife and Education

This naturalist and eager explorer was born on September 14, 1769, in Berlin,
Germany. Alexander Georg von Humboldt, his father, had been an army officer
who died in 1779 when he was only 9 years old, and he along with his brother
Wilhelm were raised by their rather distant and cold mother. They belonged to a
prominent Pomeranian family, and this was why they were able to afford tutors
to provide them their basic education in mathematics and languages—classic
subjects then.

When he was young, he already had a hobby of collecting and labeling different
plants, insects, and shells. This was why he earned the moniker “little
apothecary,” a playful title used to refer to young Alexander. Since he had an
exposure to politics because of his father, he was set for a politically-inclined
career.

Because of this he took courses in finance for a span of six months and he
attended the University of Frankfurt. After a year he studied at Göttingen. During
this time, his many interests had been clear to him and when he had his time off
in 1789, Alexander went on an excursion on the River Rhine and was able to come
up with the “Mineralogic Observations on Several Basalts on the River Rhine.”

Explorations

Alexander had the opportunity to be under the wing of A.G. Werner, a famous
geologist who taught at the Freiberg Academy of Mines. During his time there,
Alexander met the man named George Forester who was Captain James Cook’s
illustrator. Together, the tandem hiked in different places in Europe and because
of his knowledge in geology as well as other fields, Alexander was able to work as
a government mines inspector when he was 22 in Franconia, Prussia.
His mother died when he was 27, on the 19th of November, 1796 and this left him
a good inheritance which was essential to his explorations. A year after his
mother’s death, he left the government service and planned his travels with the
botanist AimeBonpland. He had always wanted to travel and explore, but had
been bound to his political obligations. Together with Bonpland, he traveled to
Madrid in order to obtain special permission along with passports from King
Charles II for their plans on exploring South America.

It was on the 5th of June 1799 when Bonpland and von Humboldt sailed aboard
the Pizarro. They had a 6-day stop at Tenerife, an island where the Teide volcano
which they planned to explore was. On the 16th of July, they were on the shores
of Cumana, Venezuela. During their stay in South America, Bonpland and
Humboldt studied the topography, flora, and fauna of the continent. Come 1800,
Humboldt had already mapped more than 1700 miles of the Orinco River.

He continued his explorations and even had a trip to the Andes along with a climb
to the top of Mt. Chimborazo located in today’s modern Ecuador. Back then, this
summit was believed to have been the highest peak in the world. They were not
able to make it to the very top, but had ascended over 18,000 feet! While in this
area, the ended the exploration by going to Lima, Peru, and this was when
Humboldt was able to observe the transit of Mercury. He also studied how guano
had fertilizing properties.

While he was on South America’s west coast, Alexander was able to measure and
discover the Peruvian Current. This current is also referred to as the Humboldt
Current. Bonpland and von Humboldt were still in South America come 1803, and
this time, Alexander was offered a position to be one of the members of the
Mexican cabinet.

Other notable experiences from his many explorations in South America included
being able to see the Leonids on the nights of November 11 and 12 shortly after
their arrival in South America, climbing the Avila Mount, and capturing some
electric eels with Bonpland from which they received quite a number of electric
shocks.

Other Travels and Achievements

After a great amount of exploration in South America, Bonpland and von
Humboldt were successfully persuaded by a certain American counselor to pay a
visit to Washington, D.C. There they stayed for three weeks and during their time
there, Alexander was able to have several meetings with then president Thomas
Jefferson who he became good friends with.

In 1804, Alexander travelled to Paris and then he wrote 30 volumes about his
different field studies. He stayed in the area for 23 years and during his time
there, had the opportunity to meet and have discussions with several other bright
minds of his age.

After a time of traveling and self-publishing his reports, his fortune from the
inheritance had ultimately run out. This made him find a stable source of income
and he became one of the advisors of Prussia’s king. Later on, he was invited to
Russia by the tsar himself and he advised them to have observatories all over the
country and enlightened them on discoveries like permafrost.

For about a year from 1827, Alexander was in Berlin, giving public lectures. These
lectures became so popular that there came a need for new assembly halls. As he
was getting old, he decided to write everything which was then known about the
earth in a work he called the Kosmos. The first volume was published in 1845. He
was 76 then.

He suffered a minor stroke on February 24, 1857. Two years later, his health
began to decline and at the age of 89, he died on May 6, 1859. Much of the man’s
private life was a mystery since he destroyed most of his private letters. To this
day, he is known as one of the most significant contributors to earth sciences.

UNIDAD EDUCATIVA PARTICULAR “SAN JOSÉ DE CALASANZ”

Name:………………………………………………………………… Date: ……….…………………………….
Grade: 2do bachillerato Subject: History and Social Sciences

PART IV: Who was Alexander Von Humboldt? WORKSHEET #11

1. Why is his name so popular?

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2. What was his moniker when he was young? And why did he acquire it?
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3. What countries of South America did he visit and what did he do on them?

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4. What did he do after visit South America?
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