Who is Alexander von Humboldt? - George Mehler
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/who-is-alex...
Have you heard of Alexander von Humboldt? Not likely. The geologist turned South American explorer was a bit of an 18th century super scientist, traveling over 24,000 miles to understand the relationship between nature and habitat. George Mehler details Humboldt's major accomplishments and why we should care about them today.
Lesson by George Mehler, animation by Flaming Medusa Studios Inc.
I guess you could say "He's underestimated because he's such a Humboldt guy!"
He's perhaps not know in the US, but here in South America we are very grateful for his work and there are many institutions and monuments named after him.
Here in Peru he is very Popular and respected, there are Scools, parks and even streets with his name and more over the Peruvian Humboldt Current , put us in the top 5 of the fishing countries.
*Schools
This Man is amazing, they should teach about him in schools. I'm surprised he's not well known because he is probably one of the most important scientists who ever lived, discovering whole other climates to help us understand our world and her nature
And just the whole significance of his “Cosmos” magnum opus, how that made an impact on a lot of American artists at the time.
I think that, at the time he climbed it, Mt Chimborazo was believed to be the highest mountain in the world. To climb it, with all his scientific equipment and no modern climbing gear, was some feat!
It's actually true if you believe "the highest" means "the furthest from the center of the Earth".
Also interesting: While in South America, his shoes were destroyed by sharp bamboo sprouts. So he decided to abandon them and walk barefoot. That doesn't mean that the bamboo sprouts had disappeared.
I live a couple of blocks away from the University of Alexander von Humboldt (Universidad Alejandro de Humboldt) here in Caracas, Venezuela.
And I live "near" the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany.
Rhonda Fizzleflint Nice! :)
I study in The University Alejandro Humboldt here In Ccs xD!
Cannot believe this video only got like a 200,000 views. Such a great scientist.
It's hard to believe one man accomplished so much and pioneered in so many fields during his lifetime. That was very informative and well done. I will definitely look for a way to integrate this into my lessons.
In Germany, Humboldt's home country, he is very well known, in part because of the many parks and buildings named after him. We have the very big Humboldt university in Berlin, for example.
It makes me kind of sad that you would say he is forgotten everywhere except the scientific community, when clearly many countires remember him and his name well. A little more research could have fixed that. The english speaking countries are not the whole world, you know?
Lena very well said! the english speaking world is not the whole world!
You're right, the problem is that it does happen in other countries, I'm from Spain and I'm sure mostspanish people wouldn't recognise this scientist
Yes, that is a problem, however, it's not the one being discussed here. What I was talking was the way English speaking nations assume that what they know and remember is also known and remembered in the rest of the public's minds. But often this isn't true, as many people in this comment section can tell you, because Humboldt is widely remembered in many countries, while the video is trying to act as if only "the keepers of the history of science and exploration" or something like that remembered him.
Lena I've been in Berlin in front of Humboldt univetsity and I would expect German people to know him. It isn't a surprise either that Peruvian people know him.
In conclusion the fact is that in those places which Humboldt didn't travel to he's surprisingly very unknown.
That is still not what were talking about, which is Anglo- and Americocentrism.
Yes, He's famous in South America. It reminds me my old lesson of Geography, the Humboldt current.
I'm currently studying at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Alexander von Humboldt also studied in this University. I am living in Humboldtstraße, named after him.
When something or someone is forgotten, they can always be remembered.
muchas gracias soy de Bolivia y este es uno de los mejores canales sobre educacion que haya visto
thanks a lot im from Bolivia and this is one of the best educational channels ive ever seen
Não podemos permitir que mentes brilhantes sejam esquecidas, parabéns pelo vídeo !
Lots of stuff named after him, e.g. a Berlin University. There's no way he will be forgotten in the Berlin region any time soon.
Had Dr. Mehler as my professor last semester at Temple University. I'm only a freshman but I truly think I'll graduate knowing he was my favorite professor.
Recently we were on a family vacation to Germany and Netherlands. Before our departure, a relative of ours, who happens to be a language teacher, recommended us to check our Humboldt Institute in the city of Heidelberg in Germany. Instead, we visited Humboldt University in Berlin. I gotta say, the place looks soooo amazing and the architecture looks exactly like we’re living in the 18th and 19th century! I personally recommend you all to visit these two places. Surely I’ll find time to Heidelberg city as well. It’s full of ancient castles and ruins everywhere!
I never heard of Humboldt till I read Measuring The Word. Still one of the most best novels I've ever read
I highly recommend two biography books about this man. "Humboldt and the Cosmos" by Douglas Botting and "The Humboldt Current"· by Aaron Sachs.
Kosmos was very popular in Britain and America. In 1849 a German newspaper commented that in England two of the three different translations were made by women, "while in Germany most of the men do not understand it." Beilage zu No. 102 der (Augsburger) Allgemeinen Zeitung from 12. April 1849
My college is name after him! And I had no idea who he was so this was an amazing video, thanks!
I knew him already he also gave SPECIES AREA RELATIONSHIP which is in our biology textbook but i didn't knew about his other achievements which are mentioned in this video... but now i know... nice representation..👍
I teach Ecology in grad schools and I was talk about him.... people have to recognize how amazing was Alexander von Humboldt
I love this. It's great to know who's the genius behind certain discoveries and research.. My favorite scientist being Michael Faraday and Richard Dawkins.
I only knew him because of the ocean current in Peru. Thanks!
The university is named after his brother, Wilhelm, who was a major philosopher, linguist & educator. But there are plenty of things named after Alexander, e.g. the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, which gives academic scholarships & exchanges, recipients include the last 2 US Energy secretaries.
great short overview! very good summation.
There's even a penguin named after him^^
that’s true (1780 winters ball and the schuyler sisters are the envy of all yo)
Excellent video. True and saddening that Humboldt, a terrific scientist, has been lost in the pages of history.
I was recently reading a book on Geographical Thoughts where i came across Humboldt’s marvellous feat.
I’m sure he’s very famous in Germany, but the point of this video is to get Humboldt his due recognition in other countries too.
Like in India 🇮🇳 (my home country) we didn’t read about Humboldt, except for the Peru current part, in our books.
These old Ted-Ed videos were much better than the new ones.
how
bro you helpt us to our geography project god bless you
You forgot the part where he would not only describe local flora and fauna in South America, but on occasion would also ingest them. I do remember an anecdote about him trying different frogs to conclude which of them where intoxicating in nature.
There's a great novel called Die Vermessung der Welt (engl. "Measuring the world) by Daniel Kehlmann which is about the life of Humboldt and the mathematician C.F. Gauß. It's only based on his life and not all the facts are correct but it's a really good book and still a good way to learn a bit more about his life :)
I wouldn't recommend this book. It makes fun of Humboldt and was written by a very young novelist who apparently wanted to topple a hero from his pedestal. Many deliberate imputations into Humboldt's character, many invented statements and false narratives. Do not take this for an autobiography! It's the cynical view of a decadent generation on the huge achievements of their forefathers.
Far better and made by a grown-up author: 'The Invention of Nature' by Andrea Wulf.
@@varelion sad that you didn't like this book but as i said in my original comment, it's a novel and not a biography, so it was never meant to be 100% factual. also i checked and daniel kehlmann is only 3 years younger than andrea wulf, so not sure what you mean by "very young" and "grown up" here.
Founder of modern Physical Geography
Hello from Venezuela. To whom should I send the Spanish subtitles to be added to this video?
I think he's not well known as he might. I just watched the movie and searched for him, I thought there was no CZcams videl talking about him until i found this, thanks!
And he gained popularity with the publishing of the book "Die Vermessung der Erde" (Measuring the world) by Daniel kehlmann, which quite recently has been turned into a movie - sadly only in german though.
It's a fictional double-biography of mathematician Carl Gauss and von Humboldt, who did pretty much all the other down-to-earth natural sciences.
I'm a brazilian geography student and never heard about Humboldt until I got into geography classes in college.
I revere him. I came to know about him while studying geographical thought
Humboldt was someone that people from Tenerife and specially from the city of La Orotava do appreciate. Why? due to a short but intense layover there in his way to America
Oh the part of chicago im from is named after him there's even a statue of him in humbolt park
YES! I was so excited to read the title of this video. Thanks for this lovely homage.
The neighborhood where i was born and raised in in Chicago was named after him, til this day his statue stands in the park
Thanks TED Ed
hola, está genial este video, un favor, Dónde puedo encontrar la narración de este video en español?
Damn, I found this while randomly looking up the Humboldt Lilly! I'm glad to know it!
my school in maturin venezuela was named after him, also the largest cave in my state was discovered by him, the Guacharo's Cave
Verga el no descubrió la cueva del guacharo si la visito y tal pero ya! Hahahah Saludos from UAH Caracas!
Yeah my school in Miraflores Peru was named after him. I only knew that he was German and pacific current was named after him
In may of 2020, we remember.
Very Good
The king of Prussia called him, "The greatest man since the deluge.". Read Andrea Wulf's The Invention Of Nature. It's a wonderfully titillating book!
good to know.
Excellent, thank you! I've been reading Wulf's book, The Invention of Nature, so now I will be using this video for the class I teach on Freethinkers where I am particularly interested in Humboldt's inspiration for John Muir and secular naturalism.
Also in Colombia! The Humboldt institute is one of the most (if not the most) important biological research institute in our country!
I double checked it - the name actually refers to both Wilhelm and Alexander.
My elementary school (closed now) was named after him & they never talked or taught us about him.
Heard his name in Chinese once but never in English. Thank you TED!
I want to have a conversation with this man
I will remember Humboldt... =) Thanks TEDEducation!
Thanks For watching
Thanks For video
actually it's named after his brother Wilhelm von Homboldt, who was also a scientist in linguistics.
Waw ! This is really awesome ! I had never heard of him despite how amazing he was according to this video !
I read his name in my biology book
I'm in the process of starting a business making furniture out of recycled materials. I wanted to call it Alexander Von Humboldt's. My husband talked me out of it though because there are a lot of things already named after him.
Geographer. Humboldt was a geographer. The finest one.
You learn something new if you look hard enough, especially on CZcams.
Afrika Smith never even heard of him untill now
Have heard of him, thanks for asking. Introducing people to stuff is cool, don't have to be patronising about it.
My sister goes to Humboldt University, I don’t know if there’s any relation
I believe people name their children after Alexander the great, though.
Surviving that many miles in the tropics without dying of malaria or trench foot is a feat in its self.
Celal hocam büyük adamsın.
Actually the Humboldt University on Berlin is named after Wilhelm von Humboldt ... Alexanders brother and the the guy who introduced modern schooling systems to germany and likely to the world.
Thanks for this. I'd vaguely heard the name, certainly deserves more media exposure.
I get to hear his name every time i go to the beach, here in Chile :P damn cold current D:
my school is named after him
One of the persons I admire the most
Loved it ! Those Ted-Ed are amazing !
I only heard about Humboldt, because of a fiction book series about a man who claims to be his (illigitamate) son. If you speak German you might want to check them out. -Chroniken der Weltensucher.- But i never actually knew what exactly he did.
Now 265K people know about him. Good job TED ED..
How is his name pronounced? I'm curious.
What german state was he from (germany was not united at the time)
+Book Loo March of Brandenburg
smilly456
Prussian?
*****
OK, but the holy roman empire was kind of shit, and is really more of a union like the EU after it granted most of it's regions autonomy, also Prussia was a kingdom since 1701, and humbolt was born way after then. so hes prussian
*****
Thanks for the Info!
Humboldt State University, Arcata California. :)
Brasil aqui
Bello
I love Humboldt!!! this video makes me so happy
eta en ingles
bbbut what day is his birthday?
Cool fact! :)
this is humanity
I know him. After watching this, Of-course :)
After his Brother Wilhelm AND also him.
The university was renamed after both Wilhelm and Alexander von Humboldt. The seal shows both of them. Of course Wilhelm is more important for the university's history, because he founded it.
umm ... I recommend letting the google translator translate "Alexander von Humbolt" from English to German and then click on the little speaker on the right :)
Wow.... Never knew him! .. thanks Ted Ed!
Like si estas viendo esto en la cuarentena
Are Humboldt squid also named for him?
Yes he discovered a hole off the moon this called Humbold after him
In Mexico he is also famous for having a romantic relationship with Maria Ignacia Rodriguez aka "La Güera Rodriguez", wich is said to be one of the most beautiful women at the time.
Coitado um homem tao importante inteligente e as pessoas esqueceram ele , e eu aqui achando que o povo vais e lembra de mim pq ganhei 3 partidas seguidas e zerei um joguinho kkkkk
He's quite famous in Germany - for example the Humboldt university in Berlin is named after him.
It's Simón Bolivar not Simon. Otherwise good video!