Brave Companions | Characters & Character Analysis

Brave Companions Important People

Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859)

The subject of Chapter 1's sketch, Humboldt is the German-born explorer of South and Central America, later hailed as a second Columbus for rediscovering America, who outstrips all earlier naturalists in the quantity and quality of the data he collects and the childlike enthusiasm with which he describes, publicizes, and popularizes the natural sciences. With chance companion Aime Bonpland, Humboldt spends four grueling but inspiring years (1800-04) exploring inhospitable river systems and mountain regions, learning to appreciate the contributions of the Incas and Aztecs, intuiting the link between vegetation and elevation and the danger to future generations of uncontrolled deforestation.

In 1804, he visits a fellow "friend of science," Thomas Jefferson, still unknown, and is heard with great awe. After returning to Europe, Humboldt spends his remaining years and most of his fortune publicizing his discoveries, becoming one of the continent's most famed figures and through his writings and willingness...
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