Humboldt's Cosmos

I first learned about the naturalist and explorer,  Alexander Von Humboldt from my friend, Michael Tobias.  

Alexander Von Humboldt

After reading the wikipedia report on Humboldt, it was clear he was one of the most remarkable human beings that ever lived.  I wanted to know more. I obtained a copy of Gerard Helfrich's very engaging biography, Humboldt's Cosmos.  I enjoy reading biographies of exceptional people, and the story of Alexander Von Humboldt's explorations of Latin America made between 1799 and 1804 is truly amazing.   Accompanied by his friend, the French botanist, Amie Bonplant,  Humboldt traveled throughout  Venezeula, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, and Cuba, collecting and cataloguing tens of thousands of plant species, most of them previously unknown to science.

Alexander Von Humboldt was born an aristocrat in Germany in 1769. That made him a contemporary of Thomas Jefferson, whom he later spent time with when the latter was in the White House, serving as the third President of the United States.

In 1802, accompanied by Bonplant,  Humboldt made an extraordinary ascent of  20,565 foot tall, Mount Chimbarazo in the Ecuadorian Andes. At the time, it was thought to be the tallest mountain on Earth. Humboldt and Bonplant made it nearly to the top. I can only imagine the kind of courage and fortitude required to take on such a challenge without the benefit of supplimental oxygen, crampons, ice axes, and the kind of weather insulated clothing that modern day climbers depend on.

Baron Alexander Von Humboldt died in 1859 at the age of 89. He was, without question, one of history's greatest naturalists.

These days, exceptional individuals like Humboldt and his colleague Bonplant don't stand out quite as much. Probably because the modern world has so many more educated and ambitious people, who are driven to excellence. I have to say, that's probably why I still remain hopeful that humans will find a way to muddle through...

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