If you had to guess who was the most mentioned person in the world, the one who has the most places named after them, who would it be?

What if we told you the answer was a person you’ve never heard of?

Let us introduce you to Alexander von Humboldt, geographer, botanist, geologist, and true lover of nature.

Humboldt, born in Germany in 1769, climbed 3.7 miles to reach the top of the Andean Mountains so he can survey the terrain, flora, and fauna and share his findings with the world.

Why are we bringing up Humboldt?

Because he, as we believe anyone should, used 3 simple messages to communicate his ideas to the world:

? In nature, everything is connected. (Sounds trivial, but in 18th century Europe, this was quite a revelation!)

? Humans can harm nature and each other (he was adamantly opposed to slavery).

️? Nature can be discovered not only through science, but also through artistic and sensory experiences.

Humboldt spread his messages to every home, every village, every university. His topographic sketches inspired Goethe’s poetry, Lincoln’s politics, Darwin’s theory of evolution, and Bolívar’s efforts to liberate South America from the Spanish occupation.

Humboldt realized that words can only go so far, and it’s important to give people a creative visual reference.

If that’s not leaving a mark, we don’t know what is!