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The greatest scientific traveller who ever lived

That was how Charles Darwin admired Alexander von Humboldt, who was born today in 1769. Von Humbold spent almost one third of his fortune travelling South and Middle America and spent the rest of it describing and analysing his travels into 30 volumes. It was The largest travel account of a private journey known to history! Humbold addressed a wide array of subjects ranging from meteorology, to physics, to botanica. He was also one of the first to criticise deforestation and warm for the catastrophic consequences for the climate.

14 September in history

At The Online Portrait Gallery, we want to give history a face. Are you curious to find out more about this day in history? Please find some highlights below.