Frederic Edwin Church, The Natural Bridge, Virginia, 1852, oil on canvas, 28 x 23 in. The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Gift of Thomas Fortune Ryan. “Alexander von Humboldt and ...

“I’ll take Alexander von Humboldt for $500, Alex.” Katie Hondorf Celebrated for his vast knowledge, competitive nature, and humble personality, Ken Jennings is known to millions as a game show ...

Between the 1820s and 1850s Alexander von Humboldt was one of the most widely admired public figures in the world. In the U.S., the name of this international renowned scholar has vanished from the ...

California’s Board of Education has decided to add five environmental principles to the curriculum for the state’s K-12 students. They are: • People depend on natural systems. • People influence ...

The father of nature writing, intrepid explorer, friend to revolutionaries and US presidents, Alexander von Humboldt was the original scholar adventurer. Fearlessly footloose and boundlessly curious, ...

Atlas Obscura on Slate is a blog about the world’s hidden wonders. Like us on Facebook and Tumblr, or follow us on Twitter. Today, in search of a way through a constantly expanding morass of ...

Why is Christian Science in our name? Our name is about honesty. The Monitor is owned by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and we’ve always been transparent about that. The church publishes the ...

There should have been a proper welcome-home party for the enormous mastodon skeleton, which hadn’t been seen in the United States for more than 170 years. When it was unearthed in 1801, during the ...

Portrait of Alexander von Humboldt, by Julius Schrader, 1859. Behind Humboldt are the mountains of Chimborazo and Cotopaxi in Ecuador. Humboldt’s exploration of these peaks shaped his view of nature ...