Humboldt was a science star and influencer

You may not know, that one of the interesting facts about Alexander Von Humboldt is that Humboldt was a Science star and influencer. Throughout his life, Humboldt traveled and conducted research, making significant contributions to the fields of astronomy, magnetism, and climatology. Over the course of his career, he published over 60 scientific works, including Cosmos, a seminal book on the evolution of the universe.

His groundbreaking work influenced research in a variety of fields. Following his study of Andean volcanoes, he refuted the theory that the Earth's surface was formed by sedimentation from a liquid state. Meanwhile, his meteorological data collection and representation helped lay the groundwork for the discipline of comparative climatology.

Many people today are more familiar with Humboldt University in Berlin or the penguin species named after him, but Humboldt was a true celebrity in his day. On his 100th birthday, a bust was unveiled in New York's Central Park, drawing 25,000 spectators. Humboldt's travel reports inspired Charles Darwin, who would not have traveled on the research ship Beagle if he had not read them. "You couldn't read from books in eight days what he can tell you in one hour," Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said.