Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland at the foot of the Chimborazo volcano, painting by Friedrich Georg Weitsch (1810). Wikimedia Commons Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was one of the most ...

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 ...

The father of nature writing, intrepid explorer, friend to revolutionaries and US presidents, Alexander von Humboldt was the original scholar adventurer. Fearlessly footloose and boundlessly curious, ...

Frederic Edwin Church, The Natural Bridge, Virginia, 1852, oil on canvas, 28 x 23 in. The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Gift of Thomas Fortune Ryan. Media preview: Thursday, ...

Atlas Obscura on Slate is a blog about the world’s hidden wonders. Like us on Facebook and Tumblr, or follow us on Twitter. Today, in search of a way through a constantly expanding morass of ...

“I’ll take Alexander von Humboldt for $500, Alex.” Katie Hondorf Celebrated for his vast knowledge, competitive nature, and humble personality, Ken Jennings is known to millions as a game show ...

The history seems barely credible. A Prussian aristocrat, born in 1769, works for five years as a mine inspector. After his mother’s death, he uses a good chunk of the family fortune on a five-year ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

Alexander von Humboldt is famed for his expeditions to South America and Russia. His ideas and findings still inspire scientists to this day. We search for traces of this Prussian naturalist and ...

Frederic Edwin Church, The Natural Bridge, Virginia, 1852, oil on canvas, 28 x 23 in. The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Gift of Thomas Fortune Ryan. “Alexander von Humboldt and ...