Tag Archives: Alexander von Humboldt

Who made the first infographic?

Posted on 2017-02-05 by

Reading about Alexander von Humboldt’s scientific voyage in South America, I stumbled upon his Naturgemälde (“painting of nature”) which he drew after almost conquering the summit of Chimborazo in Ecuador in 1802. It shows a cross section of Chimborazo, arguably the highest mountain in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Ecuador, Education, History, Statistics, Technology, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Humboldt discovered man-made climate change

Posted on 2016-07-15 by

When Alexander von Humboldt traveled in Venezuela in 1800, he was told by locals about the rapidly falling water levels of Lake Valencia. He established a theory that connected deforestation, falling water levels and change of (micro-)climate. Expanding on this, he … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Environment, History, Venezuela | Tagged , | 4 Comments