‹ The Hall of RecordsEntered into the record July 28, 2026
HISTORICAL RECORD · A DEMONSTRATIONMining and science1769 to 1859

Filed under

Salaried officer of the Prussian mining department. The chronology entry for 6 September 1792 reads "H. wird zum Oberbergmeister in den fränkischen Fürstentümern befördert". [A1]Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, ed. Ingo Schwarz, in edition humboldt digital, ed. Ottmar Ette. Entries 101 to 150, May 1791 to May 1793: the request for a mining post, Freiberg, Assessor, Oberbergmeister.Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaftenclass A · read 2026-07-28

Lifted off the plate

Hand colored engraved fold out plate showing a cross section of the Andes flanked by columns of measurements taken during the 1799 to 1803 expedition.

[A19]Zentralbibliothek Zürich (shelfmark NF 34 | F), served via e-rara.ch, the platform for digitized rare books from Swiss institutions, ETH Library Zurich1805Public Domain Markread 2026-07-29Downloaded the IIIF full-resolution JPEG at native 10469x6217; resized to 2400px on the long edge with sharp (fit inside, no enlargement); encoded to WebP quality 80. No cropping, rotation, retouching or color adjustment.

The record

On 30 May 1793, at Bayreuth, he took up the post of Oberbergmeister. By the end of November 1793 he had set up a free mining school at Steben, on his own initiative and out of his own means. [A2]Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 151 to 200, 1793 to 1794: taking up the Oberbergmeister post at Bayreuth, the free mining school at Steben, the 1794 memorandum.Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaftenclass A · read 2026-07-28

Alexander von Humboldt

A record of the Prussian mining official whose payroll title was Oberbergmeister and then Oberbergrat, and whose published pages carry the plant geography, the isotherm lines and Kosmos. [A1]Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, ed. Ingo Schwarz, in edition humboldt digital, ed. Ottmar Ette. Entries 101 to 150, May 1791 to May 1793: the request for a mining post, Freiberg, Assessor, Oberbergmeister.Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaftenclass A · read 2026-07-28

Measured

What the record counts

8 months at Freiberg
About eight months at the Bergakademie, from 14 June 1791 to 26 February 1792, under Abraham Gottlob Werner. [A10]Humboldt, Alexander von, in Persönlichkeiten der Geschichte der Bergakademie. The institution's own record of his enrolment, his teacher, and the Florae Fribergensis Specimen counts.TU Bergakademie Freibergclass A · read 2026-07-28
258 species, 1793
Florae Fribergensis Specimen recorded 258 species, of which 124 were placed in Algae and 134 in Fungi. 210 of the 258 were later found above ground near Freiberg as well. [A10]Humboldt, Alexander von, in Persönlichkeiten der Geschichte der Bergakademie. The institution's own record of his enrolment, his teacher, and the Florae Fribergensis Specimen counts.TU Bergakademie Freibergclass A · read 2026-07-28
Chimborazo, 1802
On 23 June 1802 the chronology gives the height he determined as 3,031 toises, or 5,906 metres, on a mountain then held to be the highest in the world at 6,310 metres. The summit was not reached. [A6]Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 401 to 450, 1802: the Chimborazo attempt of 23 June 1802 with Bonpland and Carlos Montúfar, the height determined, and the Messner and Cruz reconstruction.Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaftenclass A · read 2026-07-28
22,000 sheets in Berlin
About two thirds of the Nachlass, roughly 22,000 sheets including the American travel diaries, are held at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin; about one third, roughly 11,000 sheets, at the Jagiellonian Library in Krakow after wartime evacuation. [A18]Alexander von Humboldt Portal, the holding library's own description of the Nachlass and its division between Berlin and Krakow.Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitzclass A · read 2026-07-28
Kosmos vol. 1, 1845
Printing finished 15 March 1845; the edition was out of stock by June 1845. [A8]Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 1301 to 1350, 1843 to 1845: the preface written at Potsdam in November 1844 and the end of printing of the first volume of Kosmos on 15 March 1845.Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaftenclass A · read 2026-07-28

Record boundary

What the sources establish

Sources read
20
Primary or institutional
20
Distinct sources cited on this page
17
Works of record
4

Where the sources do not settle a question, this record does not answer it. Nothing above is inferred from anything else on the page.

What the record declines

That he stood on the summit of Chimborazo.

The summit was not reached. His own account of 1837 states "Wir hatten nach der La Place'schen Barometerformel, eine Höhe von 3016 Toisen, genauer von 18097 Pariser Fuss erreicht", and adds that on La Condamine's figure for the mountain "so fehlten uns noch bis zum Gipfel senkrecht 1224 Fuss oder die dreimalige Höhe der Peterskirche zu Rom". [A11]Humboldt, Alexander von: Ueber zwei Versuche den Chimborazo zu besteigen. In: Jahrbuch für 1837, ed. H. C. Schumacher. Stuttgart und Tübingen, 1837, pages 176 to 206. Read in the archive's plain-text export of the full volume text.Deutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaftenclass A · read 2026-07-28

Checked: The full text of Ueber zwei Versuche den Chimborazo zu besteigen, Jahrbuch für 1837, pages 176 to 206, read at the Deutsches Textarchiv.

That there is one settled number for how high he got.

The sources disagree and the record leaves them disagreeing. His own 1837 essay gives 3,016 toises, or 18,097 Paris feet. The Humboldt chronology gives the height he determined as 3,031 toises, or 5,906 metres, and adds that Reinhold Messner and Marco Cruz, reconstructing the ascent, put the turning point at 5,600 metres. [A6]Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 401 to 450, 1802: the Chimborazo attempt of 23 June 1802 with Bonpland and Carlos Montúfar, the height determined, and the Messner and Cruz reconstruction.Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaftenclass A · read 2026-07-28

Checked: The chronology entry for 23 June 1802 against the printed 1837 essay. Both figures are reproduced here rather than reconciled.

That the height he reached stood as the record afterwards.

By his own printing it did not. The 1837 essay reports a traveller who in December 1831 stopped 64 toises "höher als ich gelangt, bis zu 3080 Toisen", on the same mountain, and prints that traveller's account beside his own. [A11]Humboldt, Alexander von: Ueber zwei Versuche den Chimborazo zu besteigen. In: Jahrbuch für 1837, ed. H. C. Schumacher. Stuttgart und Tübingen, 1837, pages 176 to 206. Read in the archive's plain-text export of the full volume text.Deutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaftenclass A · read 2026-07-28

Checked: The opening pages and the Boussingault passage of the 1837 essay at the Deutsches Textarchiv.

That he founded, taught at, or directed the Bergakademie Freiberg.

The Bergakademie files him as a student. It records enrolment on 14 June 1791 and departure on 26 February 1792, about eight months, under Abraham Gottlob Werner, and lists him among its alumni, not its faculty. [A10]Humboldt, Alexander von, in Persönlichkeiten der Geschichte der Bergakademie. The institution's own record of his enrolment, his teacher, and the Florae Fribergensis Specimen counts.TU Bergakademie Freibergclass A · read 2026-07-28

Checked: The Bergakademie's own page on him, under the history of the institution.

The record

Alexander von Humboldt has a source page.

The same renderer a customer's published page mounts, drawing the same facts this room holds the sources for. Everything below is its apparatus.

View the record →sourceofyou.com/alexander-von-humboldt
One record, two views

The apparatus

What stands behind the record: the works and who holds them, the claims this record refuses, every source read and when, and the gate stack this figure passed before a page was compiled.

Works

Works of record

Each work is listed with the institution that holds it and the rights statement that institution publishes, quoted as written.

1796

Ueber die einfache Vorrichtung, durch welche sich Menschen stundenlang in irrespirablen Gasarten, ohne Nachtheil der Gesundheit, und mit brennenden Lichtern aufhalten können; oder vorläufige Anzeige einer Rettungsfläche und eines Lichterhalters [A12]Humboldt, Alexander von: Ueber die einfache Vorrichtung, durch welche sich Menschen stundenlang in irrespirablen Gasarten ... aufhalten können; oder vorläufige Anzeige einer Rettungsfläche und eines Lichterhalters. In: Chemische Annalen, volume 2 (1796), pages 99 to 110 and 195 to 210.Deutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaftenclass A · read 2026-07-28

Printed in the Chemische Annalen, volume 2 for 1796, pages 99 to 110 and 195 to 210, as a letter from the Oberbergrat to Berghauptmann von Trebra. The mining safety writing of the service years.

Held by
Deutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
Rights, as published
Quoted from the page: "Alle Inhalte dieser Seite unterstehen, soweit nicht anders gekennzeichnet, einer Creative-Commons-Lizenz."

1805

Essai sur la géographie des plantes, accompagné d'un tableau physique des régions équinoxiales [A15]Essai sur la géographie des plantes, accompagné d'un tableau physique des régions équinoxiales, by Al. de Humboldt et A. Bonpland, Paris, Levrault, Schoell et compagnie, 1805.Missouri Botanical Garden, via the Biodiversity Heritage Libraryclass A · read 2026-07-28

Written by Humboldt, with Aimé Bonpland, on measurements made between ten degrees north and ten degrees south during 1799 to 1803. Paris, Levrault, Schoell et compagnie. The scanned copy is the Missouri Botanical Garden's.

Held by
Missouri Botanical Garden, via the Biodiversity Heritage Library
Rights, as published
The item record states, verbatim: "Public domain. The BHL considers that this is no longer under copyright protection." with its rights field pointing at the Biodiversity Heritage Library permissions page.

1845

Kosmos. Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung, volume one [A14]Kosmos. Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung, volume 1, Stuttgart and Tübingen, Cotta, 1845.Internet Archive, scanned by the MBLWHOI Libraryclass A · read 2026-07-28

Stuttgart and Tübingen, Cotta. The volume in which the climate lines are claimed in his own words: "Das System der Isothermen, Isotheren und Isochimenen, welches ich zuerst im Jahr 1817 aufgestellt".

Held by
Internet Archive, scanned by the MBLWHOI Library
Rights, as published
The item record's copyright status field reads, verbatim, "NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT". No further licence statement is attached.

1852

Personal narrative of travels to the equinoctial regions of America, during the year 1799 to 1804 [A16]Personal narrative of travels to the equinoctial regions of America, during the year 1799 to 1804, by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland, ed. Thomasina Ross, volume 1, London, Bohn, 1852.Boston College Libraries, via the Internet Archiveclass A · read 2026-07-28

London, Bohn, volume one, in the English translation edited by Thomasina Ross. The English form of the Relation historique of the American journey.

Held by
Boston College Libraries, via the Internet Archive
Rights, as published
The item record carries no rights, licence, or copyright-status field. That ABSENCE is recorded here as exactly that. The scanned printing is of 1852 and its author died in 1859.
Sources

Sources

Class A is primary or institutional archival material. Class B is scholarly secondary work, cited with edition and page, and used only where class A could not be reached. Every source below was read at the URL given, on the date given.

  1. [A1]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, ed. Ingo Schwarz, in edition humboldt digital, ed. Ottmar Ette. Entries 101 to 150, May 1791 to May 1793: the request for a mining post, Freiberg, Assessor, Oberbergmeister.

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=101read 2026-07-28

    Site licence, quoted from the page footer with an ellipsis standing in for a parenthetical this file may not carry: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

  2. [A2]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 151 to 200, 1793 to 1794: taking up the Oberbergmeister post at Bayreuth, the free mining school at Steben, the 1794 memorandum.

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=151read 2026-07-28

    Same site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

  3. [A3]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 201 to 250, 1794 to 1796: the discharge request of 26 March 1795, the appointment as Oberbergrat on 1 May 1795, the light holder accident at Berneck on 16 October 1796.

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=201read 2026-07-28

    Same site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

  4. [A4]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 251 to 300, 1796 to 1799: the death of his mother, the letter to A. G. Werner of 21 December 1796, and the departure from the mining service at the end of December 1796.

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=251read 2026-07-28

    Same site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

  5. [A5]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 301 to 350, 1799: the pass issued at Aranjuez on 7 May, the embarkation at La Coruña on the corvette Pizarro on 5 June, the landing at Cumaná on 16 July.

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=301read 2026-07-28

    Same site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

  6. [A6]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 401 to 450, 1802: the Chimborazo attempt of 23 June 1802 with Bonpland and Carlos Montúfar, the height determined, and the Messner and Cruz reconstruction.

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=401read 2026-07-28

    Same site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

  7. [A7]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 501 to 550, 1804: the arrival off Bordeaux on 1 August 1804 and the return to European soil on 3 August 1804.

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=501read 2026-07-28

    Same site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

  8. [A8]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 1301 to 1350, 1843 to 1845: the preface written at Potsdam in November 1844 and the end of printing of the first volume of Kosmos on 15 March 1845.

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=1301read 2026-07-28

    Same site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

  9. [A9]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 1651 to 1685, 1858 to 1859: the last illness, the death on 6 May 1859 at 14:30 at Oranienburger Straße 67, and the burial at Tegel on 11 May 1859.

    Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=1651read 2026-07-28

    Same site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

  10. [A10]Class A

    Humboldt, Alexander von, in Persönlichkeiten der Geschichte der Bergakademie. The institution's own record of his enrolment, his teacher, and the Florae Fribergensis Specimen counts.

    TU Bergakademie Freiberg

    https://tu-freiberg.de/universitaet/profil/geschichte/persoenlichkeiten-der-geschichte-der-bergakademie/alexander-vonread 2026-07-28

    No reuse licence is published on the page. The footer states only "Copyright 2026 TU Freiberg". That ABSENCE is recorded here as exactly that, and only facts are taken from it.

  11. [A11]Class A

    Humboldt, Alexander von: Ueber zwei Versuche den Chimborazo zu besteigen. In: Jahrbuch für 1837, ed. H. C. Schumacher. Stuttgart und Tübingen, 1837, pages 176 to 206. Read in the archive's plain-text export of the full volume text.

    Deutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/show/humboldt_versuche_1837read 2026-07-28

    Quoted from the page: "Alle Inhalte dieser Seite unterstehen, soweit nicht anders gekennzeichnet, einer Creative-Commons-Lizenz." and "Die Rechte an den angezeigten Bilddigitalisaten, soweit nicht anders gekennzeichnet, liegen bei den besitzenden Bibliotheken."

  12. [A12]Class A

    Humboldt, Alexander von: Ueber die einfache Vorrichtung, durch welche sich Menschen stundenlang in irrespirablen Gasarten ... aufhalten können; oder vorläufige Anzeige einer Rettungsfläche und eines Lichterhalters. In: Chemische Annalen, volume 2 (1796), pages 99 to 110 and 195 to 210.

    Deutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/show/humboldt_gasarten_1796read 2026-07-28

    Quoted from the page: "Alle Inhalte dieser Seite unterstehen, soweit nicht anders gekennzeichnet, einer Creative-Commons-Lizenz."

  13. [A13]Class A

    Humboldt, Alexander von: Kosmos. Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung. Bd. 1. Stuttgart u. a., 1845. Read in the archive's plain-text export for the isotherm passage.

    Deutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    https://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/show/humboldt_kosmos01_1845read 2026-07-28

    Quoted from the page: "Alle Inhalte dieser Seite unterstehen, soweit nicht anders gekennzeichnet, einer Creative-Commons-Lizenz."

  14. [A14]Class A

    Kosmos. Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung, volume 1, Stuttgart and Tübingen, Cotta, 1845.

    Internet Archive, scanned by the MBLWHOI Library

    https://archive.org/details/kosmosentwurfein01humbread 2026-07-28

    The item record's copyright status field reads, verbatim, "NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT". No further licence statement is attached.

  15. [A15]Class A

    Essai sur la géographie des plantes, accompagné d'un tableau physique des régions équinoxiales, by Al. de Humboldt et A. Bonpland, Paris, Levrault, Schoell et compagnie, 1805.

    Missouri Botanical Garden, via the Biodiversity Heritage Library

    https://archive.org/details/mobot31753002739909read 2026-07-28

    The item record states, verbatim: "Public domain. The BHL considers that this is no longer under copyright protection." with its rights field pointing at the Biodiversity Heritage Library permissions page.

  16. [A16]Class A

    Personal narrative of travels to the equinoctial regions of America, during the year 1799 to 1804, by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland, ed. Thomasina Ross, volume 1, London, Bohn, 1852.

    Boston College Libraries, via the Internet Archive

    https://archive.org/details/personalnarrativ01humbread 2026-07-28

    The item record carries no rights, licence, or copyright-status field. That ABSENCE is recorded here as exactly that. The scanned printing is of 1852 and its author died in 1859.

  17. [A17]Class A

    Essai politique sur l'île de Cuba, by Alexandre de Humboldt, tome 1, Paris, Gide, 1826. Read in the item's full-text export for the passage on slavery.

    Robarts Library, University of Toronto, via the Internet Archive

    https://archive.org/details/essaipolitiquesu01humbread 2026-07-28

    The item record carries no rights, licence, or copyright-status field. That ABSENCE is recorded here as exactly that. The scanned printing is of 1826.

  18. [A18]Class A

    Alexander von Humboldt Portal, the holding library's own description of the Nachlass and its division between Berlin and Krakow.

    Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz

    https://humboldt.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/read 2026-07-28

    No reuse licence is published on the portal's landing page; it carries only picture credits to the library and to bpk. That ABSENCE of a licence statement is recorded here as exactly that, and only facts are taken from it.

  19. [A19]Class A

    Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent, fait en 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804. 5 (1805) Essai sur la géographie des plantes : accompagné d'un tableau physique des régions équinoxiales, fondé sur des mesures exécutées, depuis le dixième degré de latitute boréale jusqu'au dixième degré de latitute australe, pendant les années 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802 et 1803 / par Al. de Humboldt et A. Bonpland ; Rédigé par Al. de Humboldt

    Zentralbibliothek Zürich (shelfmark NF 34 | F), served via e-rara.ch, the platform for digitized rare books from Swiss institutions, ETH Library Zurich

    https://doi.org/10.3931/e-rara-24316read 2026-07-29

    Nutzungsbedingungen. Lizenz: Public Domain Mark. Nutzung: Frei zum Herunterladen. Bei einer Vervielfältigung oder Verwertung des Dokuments oder Teilen daraus ersucht die besitzende Institution Sie im Rahmen der üblichen wissenschaftlichen Gepflogenheiten um: Information; Quellenangabe inklusive Angabe des Urhebers, des Standortes und des persistenten Identifiers; Zusendung eines Belegexemplares und/oder Mitteilung der Internetadresse Ihres digitalen Angebotes, in das Sie das Dokument oder Teile daraus eingebunden haben. Quellenangabe: Humboldt, Alexander von: Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent, fait en 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804. Essai sur la géographie des plantes ... Paris : Schoell, 1805. Zentralbibliothek Zürich, NF 34 | F , https://doi.org/10.3931/e-rara-24316 / Public Domain Mark

  20. [A20]Class A

    [Baron Alexander von Humboldt, half-length portrait, facing front]

    Library of Congress

    https://www.loc.gov/item/2005692506/read 2026-07-29

    No known restrictions on publication in the U.S. Use elsewhere may be restricted by other countries' laws. For general information see "Copyright and Other Restrictions..." http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/print/195_copr.html

Clearance

How this record was cleared

Every record in the Hall passes the same gate stack before a page is compiled, and the result is published rather than merely filed.

Died
1859
Public domain basis
Every work quoted or linked here was printed between 1793 and 1859 and its author died on 6 May 1859, so the texts are long out of copyright. The scan positions agree: the Internet Archive record for Kosmos volume one reads "NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT", and the Biodiversity Heritage Library scan of the 1805 plant geography reads "Public domain. The BHL considers that this is no longer under copyright protection." The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy's edition publishes under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the Deutsches Textarchiv under a Creative Commons licence.
Estate and licensing screen
Screened 2026-07-28. No enforcing estate, heir, or licensing agent was found for the person. The papers he willed to further scientific use passed into public custody, reaching the former Preußische Staatsbibliothek by 1932; they are administered today by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and the Jagiellonian Library, which publish them as research collections rather than licensing a persona.
Trademark screen
Screened 2026-07-28. Live collisions found. The Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin operates under the family name, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation carries the full name and states on its own site that it is named after him. No mark was cleared or sought for this record, which is an archival compilation and not a product bearing the name.
Dignity screen
Documented facts only, in both directions, and no editorial verdict on either. The record states that his salary came from the Prussian state mining department, that his American travel pass was issued at the Spanish royal seat of Aranjuez and his passage made on a Spanish crown corvette, and that his 1826 Cuba essay called slavery the greatest of all the evils that have afflicted humanity. Where the sources give two different heights for the 1802 ascent, both are printed and neither is chosen. No motive, feeling, or opinion is attributed to him beyond what he published.
Gate stack run
2026-07-28

The machine record

The structured representation this page is built from, printed field by field.

Every row below is a field of this figure's module, printed with its value and the citation key that settles it. Nothing here is summarised or inferred. It is shown as text for a reader: this page emits no machine-readable metadata, and it is excluded from the sitemap, from llms.txt, and from search indexes.

identity

slugalexander-von-humboldt
handlealexander-von-humboldt
nameAlexander von Humboldt
disciplineMining and science
entered2026-07-28
accent#1D4E36

claims

labelSalaried officer of the Prussian mining department. The chronology entry for 6 September 1792 reads "H. wird zum Oberbergmeister in den fränkischen Fürstentümern befördert". [A1]
turnOn 30 May 1793, at Bayreuth, he took up the post of Oberbergmeister. By the end of November 1793 he had set up a free mining school at Steben, on his own initiative and out of his own means. [A2]
lifespan1769 to 1859 [A9]
statementA record of the Prussian mining official whose payroll title was Oberbergmeister and then Oberbergrat, and whose published pages carry the plant geography, the isotherm lines and Kosmos. [A1]

story[7]

story[0]On 14 May 1791 he asked for a position in the Prussian mining service, and on 14 June 1791 he began study at the Bergakademie in Freiberg in Saxony. [A1]
story[1]The Bergakademie records about eight months of enrolment, 14 June 1791 to 26 February 1792, under the mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner, and quotes him on the routine of those months: "Ich bringe fast alle Morgen von 7 bis 12 Uhr in den Gruben zu, den Nachmittag habe ich Unterricht, und den Abend jage ich Moose, wie es Forster nannte". [A10]
story[2]He was made Assessor in the Prussian mining department on 29 February 1792, received the appointment as Assessor cum voto on 6 March 1792, and was promoted to Oberbergmeister in the Franconian principalities on 6 September 1792. [A1]
story[3]The service years produced apparatus as well as reports: on 1 May 1795 he was appointed Oberbergrat and released from the duties of Oberbergmeister, and on 16 October 1796 he was injured during trials with a light holder of his own construction at the alum works at Berneck. [A3]
story[4]A letter printed in the Chemische Annalen for 1796, under the byline "Aus einem Briefe des Hrn. Oberbergraths von Humboldt an den Herrn Berghauptmann von Trebra", announced a rescue apparatus and a light holder for working in irrespirable pit gases. [A12]
story[5]He left the mining service at his own request at the end of December 1796, having written to A. G. Werner on 21 December 1796 that a great journey outside Europe was in preparation. [A4]
story[6]The printing of the first volume of Kosmos was finished on 15 March 1845, and that edition was out of stock by June 1845. [A8]

schedule[8]

schedule[0] [A10]

span1791 to 1792
titleBergakademie Freiberg
detailEnrolled 14 June 1791 and studied to 26 February 1792, about eight months, under Abraham Gottlob Werner, in geology, mineralogy and mining science.

schedule[1] [A1]

span1792
titlePrussian mining department
detailAssessor from 29 February 1792, Assessor cum voto by the appointment of 6 March 1792, and Oberbergmeister in the Franconian principalities from 6 September 1792. On 22 September 1792 he closed a report on the state of mining and metallurgy in the principalities of Bayreuth and Ansbach.

schedule[2] [A2]

span1793 to 1794
titleThe free mining school at Steben
detailSet up at the end of November 1793 on his own initiative and out of his own means. A memorandum written at Steben on 13 March 1794 proposed converting it into a state institution.

schedule[3] [A3]

span1795 to 1796
titleOberbergrat, and the light holder trials
detailAsked on 26 March 1795 to be discharged from the duties of Oberbergmeister; appointed Oberbergrat on 1 May 1795. Injured on 16 October 1796 in trials with a light holder of his own construction at the alum works at Berneck.

schedule[4] [A4]

span1796
titleDeparture from the mining service
detailLeft the mining service at his own request at the end of December 1796, weeks after the death of his mother and the letter of 21 December 1796 to A. G. Werner.

schedule[5] [A5]

span1799 to 1804
titleThe American journey
detailA travel pass was issued at Aranjuez on 7 May 1799. With Aimé Bonpland he embarked at the harbour of La Coruña on the Spanish corvette Pizarro on 5 June 1799 and landed at Cumaná on 16 July 1799.

schedule[6] [A8]

span1845
titleKosmos, first volume
detailThe preface was written at Potsdam in November 1844; printing of the first volume was finished on 15 March 1845 and the edition was out of stock by June 1845.

schedule[7] [A9]

span1859
titleDeath in Berlin
detailBedridden from 21 April 1859; died on 6 May 1859 at 14:30 at Oranienburger Straße 67, and was buried in the family grave in the park at Schloss Tegel on 11 May 1859.

figures[5]

figures[0] [A10]

label8 months at Freiberg
detailAbout eight months at the Bergakademie, from 14 June 1791 to 26 February 1792, under Abraham Gottlob Werner.

figures[1] [A10]

label258 species, 1793
detailFlorae Fribergensis Specimen recorded 258 species, of which 124 were placed in Algae and 134 in Fungi. 210 of the 258 were later found above ground near Freiberg as well.

figures[2] [A6]

labelChimborazo, 1802
detailOn 23 June 1802 the chronology gives the height he determined as 3,031 toises, or 5,906 metres, on a mountain then held to be the highest in the world at 6,310 metres. The summit was not reached.

figures[3] [A18]

label22,000 sheets in Berlin
detailAbout two thirds of the Nachlass, roughly 22,000 sheets including the American travel diaries, are held at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin; about one third, roughly 11,000 sheets, at the Jagiellonian Library in Krakow after wartime evacuation.

figures[4] [A8]

labelKosmos vol. 1, 1845
detailPrinting finished 15 March 1845; the edition was out of stock by June 1845.

works[4]

works[0] [A12]

titleUeber die einfache Vorrichtung, durch welche sich Menschen stundenlang in irrespirablen Gasarten, ohne Nachtheil der Gesundheit, und mit brennenden Lichtern aufhalten können; oder vorläufige Anzeige einer Rettungsfläche und eines Lichterhalters
year1796
notePrinted in the Chemische Annalen, volume 2 for 1796, pages 99 to 110 and 195 to 210, as a letter from the Oberbergrat to Berghauptmann von Trebra. The mining safety writing of the service years.
urlhttps://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/show/humboldt_gasarten_1796

works[1] [A15]

titleEssai sur la géographie des plantes, accompagné d'un tableau physique des régions équinoxiales
year1805
noteWritten by Humboldt, with Aimé Bonpland, on measurements made between ten degrees north and ten degrees south during 1799 to 1803. Paris, Levrault, Schoell et compagnie. The scanned copy is the Missouri Botanical Garden's.
urlhttps://archive.org/details/mobot31753002739909

works[2] [A14]

titleKosmos. Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung, volume one
year1845
noteStuttgart and Tübingen, Cotta. The volume in which the climate lines are claimed in his own words: "Das System der Isothermen, Isotheren und Isochimenen, welches ich zuerst im Jahr 1817 aufgestellt".
urlhttps://archive.org/details/kosmosentwurfein01humb

works[3] [A16]

titlePersonal narrative of travels to the equinoctial regions of America, during the year 1799 to 1804
year1852
noteLondon, Bohn, volume one, in the English translation edited by Thomasina Ross. The English form of the Relation historique of the American journey.
urlhttps://archive.org/details/personalnarrativ01humb

answers[5]

answers[0] [A1]

qWhat title did the Prussian state actually pay him under?
aAssessor in the mining department from 29 February 1792, Oberbergmeister in the Franconian principalities from 6 September 1792.

answers[1] [A2]

qWhat did the mining office produce besides reports?
aA free mining school at Steben, set up at the end of November 1793 on his own initiative and out of his own means, with a memorandum of 13 March 1794 proposing it become a state institution.

answers[2] [A7]

qWhen did the American journey end?
aThe ship reached the mouth of the Garonne off Bordeaux on 1 August 1804, and on 3 August 1804 he set foot on European soil after more than five years away.

answers[3] [A13]

qWhere does the claim to the isotherm lines stand written?
aIn the first volume of Kosmos, in his own words: "Das System der Isothermen, Isotheren und Isochimenen, welches ich zuerst im Jahr 1817 aufgestellt, kann vielleicht, wenn es durch vereinte Bemühungen der Physiker allmälig vervollkommnet wird, eine der Hauptgrundlagen der vergleichenden Klimatologie abgeben."

answers[4] [A17]

qWhat does the record hold on slavery?
aThe Essai politique sur l'île de Cuba, Paris 1826, states: "L'esclavage est sans doute le plus grand de tous les maux qui ont affligé l'humanité". The same journey travelled under a pass issued at the Spanish royal seat of Aranjuez and aboard a Spanish crown corvette.

declines[4]

declines[0] [A11]

mythThat he stood on the summit of Chimborazo.
refusalThe summit was not reached. His own account of 1837 states "Wir hatten nach der La Place'schen Barometerformel, eine Höhe von 3016 Toisen, genauer von 18097 Pariser Fuss erreicht", and adds that on La Condamine's figure for the mountain "so fehlten uns noch bis zum Gipfel senkrecht 1224 Fuss oder die dreimalige Höhe der Peterskirche zu Rom".
checkedThe full text of Ueber zwei Versuche den Chimborazo zu besteigen, Jahrbuch für 1837, pages 176 to 206, read at the Deutsches Textarchiv.

declines[1] [A6]

mythThat there is one settled number for how high he got.
refusalThe sources disagree and the record leaves them disagreeing. His own 1837 essay gives 3,016 toises, or 18,097 Paris feet. The Humboldt chronology gives the height he determined as 3,031 toises, or 5,906 metres, and adds that Reinhold Messner and Marco Cruz, reconstructing the ascent, put the turning point at 5,600 metres.
checkedThe chronology entry for 23 June 1802 against the printed 1837 essay. Both figures are reproduced here rather than reconciled.

declines[2] [A11]

mythThat the height he reached stood as the record afterwards.
refusalBy his own printing it did not. The 1837 essay reports a traveller who in December 1831 stopped 64 toises "höher als ich gelangt, bis zu 3080 Toisen", on the same mountain, and prints that traveller's account beside his own.
checkedThe opening pages and the Boussingault passage of the 1837 essay at the Deutsches Textarchiv.

declines[3] [A10]

mythThat he founded, taught at, or directed the Bergakademie Freiberg.
refusalThe Bergakademie files him as a student. It records enrolment on 14 June 1791 and departure on 26 February 1792, about eight months, under Abraham Gottlob Werner, and lists him among its alumni, not its faculty.
checkedThe Bergakademie's own page on him, under the history of the institution.

sources[20]

sources.A1 [A1]

clsA
institutionBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleAlexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, ed. Ingo Schwarz, in edition humboldt digital, ed. Ottmar Ette. Entries 101 to 150, May 1791 to May 1793: the request for a mining post, Freiberg, Assessor, Oberbergmeister.
urlhttps://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=101
accessed2026-07-28
rightsSite licence, quoted from the page footer with an ellipsis standing in for a parenthetical this file may not carry: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

sources.A2 [A2]

clsA
institutionBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleAlexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 151 to 200, 1793 to 1794: taking up the Oberbergmeister post at Bayreuth, the free mining school at Steben, the 1794 memorandum.
urlhttps://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=151
accessed2026-07-28
rightsSame site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

sources.A3 [A3]

clsA
institutionBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleAlexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 201 to 250, 1794 to 1796: the discharge request of 26 March 1795, the appointment as Oberbergrat on 1 May 1795, the light holder accident at Berneck on 16 October 1796.
urlhttps://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=201
accessed2026-07-28
rightsSame site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

sources.A4 [A4]

clsA
institutionBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleAlexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 251 to 300, 1796 to 1799: the death of his mother, the letter to A. G. Werner of 21 December 1796, and the departure from the mining service at the end of December 1796.
urlhttps://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=251
accessed2026-07-28
rightsSame site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

sources.A5 [A5]

clsA
institutionBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleAlexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 301 to 350, 1799: the pass issued at Aranjuez on 7 May, the embarkation at La Coruña on the corvette Pizarro on 5 June, the landing at Cumaná on 16 July.
urlhttps://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=301
accessed2026-07-28
rightsSame site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

sources.A6 [A6]

clsA
institutionBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleAlexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 401 to 450, 1802: the Chimborazo attempt of 23 June 1802 with Bonpland and Carlos Montúfar, the height determined, and the Messner and Cruz reconstruction.
urlhttps://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=401
accessed2026-07-28
rightsSame site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

sources.A7 [A7]

clsA
institutionBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleAlexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 501 to 550, 1804: the arrival off Bordeaux on 1 August 1804 and the return to European soil on 3 August 1804.
urlhttps://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=501
accessed2026-07-28
rightsSame site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

sources.A8 [A8]

clsA
institutionBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleAlexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 1301 to 1350, 1843 to 1845: the preface written at Potsdam in November 1844 and the end of printing of the first volume of Kosmos on 15 March 1845.
urlhttps://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=1301
accessed2026-07-28
rightsSame site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

sources.A9 [A9]

clsA
institutionBerlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleAlexander von Humboldt-Chronologie, entries 1651 to 1685, 1858 to 1859: the last illness, the death on 6 May 1859 at 14:30 at Oranienburger Straße 67, and the burial at Tegel on 11 May 1859.
urlhttps://edition-humboldt.de/chronologie/index.xql?l=de&offset=1651
accessed2026-07-28
rightsSame site licence: "Alle Texte und TEI-XML-Daten dieser Website können ... unter den Bedingungen der Creative Commons-Lizenz CC BY-SA 4.0 nachgenutzt werden."

sources.A10 [A10]

clsA
institutionTU Bergakademie Freiberg
titleHumboldt, Alexander von, in Persönlichkeiten der Geschichte der Bergakademie. The institution's own record of his enrolment, his teacher, and the Florae Fribergensis Specimen counts.
urlhttps://tu-freiberg.de/universitaet/profil/geschichte/persoenlichkeiten-der-geschichte-der-bergakademie/alexander-von
accessed2026-07-28
rightsNo reuse licence is published on the page. The footer states only "Copyright 2026 TU Freiberg". That ABSENCE is recorded here as exactly that, and only facts are taken from it.

sources.A11 [A11]

clsA
institutionDeutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleHumboldt, Alexander von: Ueber zwei Versuche den Chimborazo zu besteigen. In: Jahrbuch für 1837, ed. H. C. Schumacher. Stuttgart und Tübingen, 1837, pages 176 to 206. Read in the archive's plain-text export of the full volume text.
urlhttps://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/show/humboldt_versuche_1837
accessed2026-07-28
rightsQuoted from the page: "Alle Inhalte dieser Seite unterstehen, soweit nicht anders gekennzeichnet, einer Creative-Commons-Lizenz." and "Die Rechte an den angezeigten Bilddigitalisaten, soweit nicht anders gekennzeichnet, liegen bei den besitzenden Bibliotheken."

sources.A12 [A12]

clsA
institutionDeutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleHumboldt, Alexander von: Ueber die einfache Vorrichtung, durch welche sich Menschen stundenlang in irrespirablen Gasarten ... aufhalten können; oder vorläufige Anzeige einer Rettungsfläche und eines Lichterhalters. In: Chemische Annalen, volume 2 (1796), pages 99 to 110 and 195 to 210.
urlhttps://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/show/humboldt_gasarten_1796
accessed2026-07-28
rightsQuoted from the page: "Alle Inhalte dieser Seite unterstehen, soweit nicht anders gekennzeichnet, einer Creative-Commons-Lizenz."

sources.A13 [A13]

clsA
institutionDeutsches Textarchiv, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften
titleHumboldt, Alexander von: Kosmos. Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung. Bd. 1. Stuttgart u. a., 1845. Read in the archive's plain-text export for the isotherm passage.
urlhttps://www.deutschestextarchiv.de/book/show/humboldt_kosmos01_1845
accessed2026-07-28
rightsQuoted from the page: "Alle Inhalte dieser Seite unterstehen, soweit nicht anders gekennzeichnet, einer Creative-Commons-Lizenz."

sources.A14 [A14]

clsA
institutionInternet Archive, scanned by the MBLWHOI Library
titleKosmos. Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung, volume 1, Stuttgart and Tübingen, Cotta, 1845.
urlhttps://archive.org/details/kosmosentwurfein01humb
accessed2026-07-28
rightsThe item record's copyright status field reads, verbatim, "NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT". No further licence statement is attached.

sources.A15 [A15]

clsA
institutionMissouri Botanical Garden, via the Biodiversity Heritage Library
titleEssai sur la géographie des plantes, accompagné d'un tableau physique des régions équinoxiales, by Al. de Humboldt et A. Bonpland, Paris, Levrault, Schoell et compagnie, 1805.
urlhttps://archive.org/details/mobot31753002739909
accessed2026-07-28
rightsThe item record states, verbatim: "Public domain. The BHL considers that this is no longer under copyright protection." with its rights field pointing at the Biodiversity Heritage Library permissions page.

sources.A16 [A16]

clsA
institutionBoston College Libraries, via the Internet Archive
titlePersonal narrative of travels to the equinoctial regions of America, during the year 1799 to 1804, by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland, ed. Thomasina Ross, volume 1, London, Bohn, 1852.
urlhttps://archive.org/details/personalnarrativ01humb
accessed2026-07-28
rightsThe item record carries no rights, licence, or copyright-status field. That ABSENCE is recorded here as exactly that. The scanned printing is of 1852 and its author died in 1859.

sources.A17 [A17]

clsA
institutionRobarts Library, University of Toronto, via the Internet Archive
titleEssai politique sur l'île de Cuba, by Alexandre de Humboldt, tome 1, Paris, Gide, 1826. Read in the item's full-text export for the passage on slavery.
urlhttps://archive.org/details/essaipolitiquesu01humb
accessed2026-07-28
rightsThe item record carries no rights, licence, or copyright-status field. That ABSENCE is recorded here as exactly that. The scanned printing is of 1826.

sources.A18 [A18]

clsA
institutionStaatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz
titleAlexander von Humboldt Portal, the holding library's own description of the Nachlass and its division between Berlin and Krakow.
urlhttps://humboldt.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/
accessed2026-07-28
rightsNo reuse licence is published on the portal's landing page; it carries only picture credits to the library and to bpk. That ABSENCE of a licence statement is recorded here as exactly that, and only facts are taken from it.

sources.A19 [A19]

clsA
institutionZentralbibliothek Zürich (shelfmark NF 34 | F), served via e-rara.ch, the platform for digitized rare books from Swiss institutions, ETH Library Zurich
titleVoyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent, fait en 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804. 5 (1805) Essai sur la géographie des plantes : accompagné d'un tableau physique des régions équinoxiales, fondé sur des mesures exécutées, depuis le dixième degré de latitute boréale jusqu'au dixième degré de latitute australe, pendant les années 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802 et 1803 / par Al. de Humboldt et A. Bonpland ; Rédigé par Al. de Humboldt
urlhttps://doi.org/10.3931/e-rara-24316
accessed2026-07-29
rightsNutzungsbedingungen. Lizenz: Public Domain Mark. Nutzung: Frei zum Herunterladen. Bei einer Vervielfältigung oder Verwertung des Dokuments oder Teilen daraus ersucht die besitzende Institution Sie im Rahmen der üblichen wissenschaftlichen Gepflogenheiten um: Information; Quellenangabe inklusive Angabe des Urhebers, des Standortes und des persistenten Identifiers; Zusendung eines Belegexemplares und/oder Mitteilung der Internetadresse Ihres digitalen Angebotes, in das Sie das Dokument oder Teile daraus eingebunden haben. Quellenangabe: Humboldt, Alexander von: Voyage aux régions équinoxiales du Nouveau Continent, fait en 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803 et 1804. Essai sur la géographie des plantes ... Paris : Schoell, 1805. Zentralbibliothek Zürich, NF 34 | F , https://doi.org/10.3931/e-rara-24316 / Public Domain Mark

sources.A20 [A20]

clsA
institutionLibrary of Congress
title[Baron Alexander von Humboldt, half-length portrait, facing front]
urlhttps://www.loc.gov/item/2005692506/
accessed2026-07-29
rightsNo known restrictions on publication in the U.S. Use elsewhere may be restricted by other countries' laws. For general information see "Copyright and Other Restrictions..." http://lcweb.loc.gov/rr/print/195_copr.html

clearance

died1859
diedSrcA9
pdBasisEvery work quoted or linked here was printed between 1793 and 1859 and its author died on 6 May 1859, so the texts are long out of copyright. The scan positions agree: the Internet Archive record for Kosmos volume one reads "NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT", and the Biodiversity Heritage Library scan of the 1805 plant geography reads "Public domain. The BHL considers that this is no longer under copyright protection." The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy's edition publishes under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the Deutsches Textarchiv under a Creative Commons licence.
estateScreened 2026-07-28. No enforcing estate, heir, or licensing agent was found for the person. The papers he willed to further scientific use passed into public custody, reaching the former Preußische Staatsbibliothek by 1932; they are administered today by the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and the Jagiellonian Library, which publish them as research collections rather than licensing a persona.
trademarkScreened 2026-07-28. Live collisions found. The Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin operates under the family name, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation carries the full name and states on its own site that it is named after him. No mark was cleared or sought for this record, which is an archival compilation and not a product bearing the name.
dignityDocumented facts only, in both directions, and no editorial verdict on either. The record states that his salary came from the Prussian state mining department, that his American travel pass was issued at the Spanish royal seat of Aranjuez and his passage made on a Spanish crown corvette, and that his 1826 Cuba essay called slavery the greatest of all the evils that have afflicted humanity. Where the sources give two different heights for the 1802 ascent, both are printed and neither is chosen. No motive, feeling, or opinion is attributed to him beyond what he published.
checkedAt2026-07-28
noAffiliationNo affiliation with Humboldt University, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, or any organization bearing this name.

HISTORICAL RECORD · A DEMONSTRATION

A demonstration record, compiled from public archives. Every line on this page carries its source. Alexander von Humboldt did not write it; the institutions cited here did.

No affiliation with Humboldt University, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, or any organization bearing this name.

Corrections are wanted, and they are treated the way a falsehood on any Source of You page is treated: they jump the queue. If a line here is wrong, or a source is misread, write to hello@sourceofyou.com and the page comes down while it is checked.