1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
IranIsrael-Hamas warIndia elections
Science

Happy birthday, Humboldt!

June 5, 2019

Roughly 300 plants are named after him, as well as numerous animals and even an area on the moon. Alexander von Humboldt breaks all records. Let's celebrate his 250th birthday!

https://p.dw.com/p/3JsKe

Alexander von Humboldt was a true polymath: a scientist, thought leader, cosmopolitan, explorer and adventurer who left his mark all over the world. Especially in South America, the German universal scientist is still popular, esteemed and omnipresent today.

Many animals and plants, glaciers, the Humboldt Current, mountains and numerous cities all over the world were named after him. Even an area on the moon, the Catena Humboldt crater, carries his name.