# Mourning, Celebrating, Revisiting: Alexander von Humboldt in the United States, 1859-2009

Alexander von Humboldt achieved cultural hero status in the United States in the second half of the 19th century. His travels, experiments and knowledge transformed Western science. A lecture at the Library of Congress examined the influence and legacy of the German naturalist and explorer. Andreas Daum presented "Mourning, Celebrating, Revisiting: Alexander von Humboldt in the United States, 1859-2009." Between 1799 and 1804, von Humboldt explored Latin America and wrote about his scientific observations. Later, in 1845, he wrote the five-volume "Kosmos," which attempted to unify the various branches of scientific knowledge. An extraordinary researcher, von Humboldt's goal was "to examine the interweaving and interacting of all forces of nature." Von Humboldt also was an early advocate of human rights and a pioneer in the field of ecology.

- Kind: Talk
- Year: 2009
- By: Library Of Congress. African And Middle Eastern Division
- Genres: Education, Science, History
- Archive: [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/item/2021688235/)
- Licence or status: Rights statement at the Library of Congress (as the archive states it)
- Credit: Library of Congress
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/loc/2021688235?play=1)