Famous 18th Century Geographers

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 1 
Alexander von Humboldt
19
Birthdate: September 14, 1769
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Berlin
Died: May 6, 1859

As a child, Alexander von Humboldt was sickly and a bad student. After failing to shine in economics and engineering, he grew up to revolutionize the domain of geography. He is remembered for his research on magnetic storms and his treatise on nature, Kosmos. He also spoke about climate change.

 2 
Carl Ritter
(Co-founder of Modern Geography)
Carl Ritter
3
Birthdate: August 7, 1779
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Quedlinburg, Germany
Died: September 28, 1859

Carl Ritter was a German geographer considered one of the founders of modern geography. He taught history at the University of Berlin and was one of the mentors of the explorer Heinrich Barth, who traveled in Northern and Western Africa. A prolific researcher and writer, Ritter produced a staggering amount of geographical literature in his lifetime. 

 3 
Charles Lyell
8
Birthdate: November 14, 1797
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Angus
Died: February 22, 1875

Charles Lyell was a Scottish geologist best remembered for his work Principles of Geology, which explains the origin of the earth. He is also remembered for his pioneering explanation of climate change. A close friend of Charles Darwin, Charles Lyell is also credited with influencing many of Darwin's works pertaining to the theories of evolution.  

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 4 
Eusebio Kino
(Italian Jesuit, Missionary, Explorer, Mathematician and Astronomer)
Eusebio Kino
3
Birthdate: August 10, 1645
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Predaia, Italy
Died: March 15, 1711

Eusebio Kino was a Tyrolean missionary, explorer, geographer, astronomer, and cartographer. Nicknamed Father Kino for his missionary work, Eusebio worked closely with the indigenous Native American people, including the Sobaipuri, Tohono O'Odham, and other Upper Piman populations, as part of his exploration. He also led an overland expedition in the Baja California Peninsula, proving that it is not an island.

 5 
James Rennell
(British Geographer, Historian and a Pioneer of Oceanography)
James Rennell
2
Birthdate: December 3, 1742
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Chudleigh, Devon, England
Died: March 29, 1830

James Rennell was an English historian and geographer. A pioneer of oceanography, Rennell is often referred to as the Father of Oceanography. Rennell, who served as a Surveyor General of Bengal, India, is credited with producing some of the earliest accurate maps of Bengal. James Rennell is also credited with co-founding the Royal Geographical Society in London in 1830.

 6 
Adam Sedgwick
(Geologist)
Adam Sedgwick
3
Birthdate: March 22, 1785
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Dent
Died: January 27, 1873

Adam Sedgwick was a British Anglican priest and geologist. He is credited with guiding and mentoring Charles Darwin during his early years. However, Sedgwick went on to oppose Darwin's theory of evolution. The world's oldest student-run geological society, The Sedgwick Club, was established in his honor in 1880.

 7 
Charles Marie de La Condamine
(French Explorer, Geographer, and Mathematician Who Created the First Map of the Amazon Region)
Charles Marie de La Condamine
2
Birthdate: January 28, 1701
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: February 4, 1774

French naturalist, geographer, and mathematician Charles Marie de La Condamine is remembered for completing the first known scientific exploration of the Amazon region and also created the first map of the region. He was also part of an expedition that measured a latitude at the equator.

 8 
William Hopkins
(Mathematician, Geologist)
William Hopkins
2
Birthdate: February 2, 1793
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kingston on Soar
Died: October 13, 1866

William Hopkins was an English geologist and mathematician. He is remembered for serving as a private tutor of prospective undergraduate Cambridge mathematicians, which earned him the nickname senior-wrangler maker. Hopkins also played first-class cricket and was associated with Cambridge University Cricket Club. He had an unfortunate end to his life as he spent his final years in a lunatic asylum.

 9 
Jedidiah Morse
(American Geographer Whose Textbooks Became Primary Study Materials for Students in the US)
Jedidiah Morse
2
Birthdate: August 23, 1761
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Woodstock, Connecticut, United States
Died: June 9, 1826

Jedidiah Morse was a geographer best remembered for his textbooks, which became primary study materials for students in the US. His textbooks earned him the nickname father of American geography. Jedidiah Morse also served as a teacher and pastor during his illustrious career.

 10 
Alexander Dalrymple
(Geographer and hydrographer)
Alexander Dalrymple
2
Birthdate: July 24, 1737
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New Hailes, Scotland
Died: June 19, 1808
 11 
Conrad Malte-Brun
(French Geographer Famous for Coining the Name for the Geographic Region 'Oceania')
Conrad Malte-Brun
1
Birthdate: August 12, 1775
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Thisted, Denmark
Died: December 14, 1826

Conrad Malte-Brun was a Dano-French journalist and geographer. Malte-Brun is best remembered for coining the name Indo-China as well as the name Oceania, a geographic region that includes Melanesia, Micronesia, Australasia, and Polynesia, around 1812. Conrad Malte-Brun is also known as the father of Victor Adolphe Malte-Brun, who was also a famous geographer.

 12 
Aaron Arrowsmith
(British Cartographer, Engraver and Founding Member of the 'Arrowsmith Family' of Geographers)
Aaron Arrowsmith
1
Birthdate: July 14, 1750
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Winston, England
Died: April 23, 1823

Aaron Arrowsmith was an English cartographer, publisher, and engraver. Aaron, who belonged to the famous Arrowsmith family of geographers, is best remembered for producing the maps of Scotland and North America, which are counted among his most celebrated productions.

 13 
Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville
(French Cartographer Who Developed the Art of Map-Making)
Jean-Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville
1
Birthdate: July 11, 1697
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 28, 1782

French cartographer and geographer Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville is remembered for developing the art of map-making. His first significant work was a map of China. He later drew maps of various regions, such as India, Italy, and Africa. He was also named the first geographer to the French king.

 14 
Philippe Buache
(French Cartographer and Geographer Who Developed Physical Geography)
Philippe Buache
1
Birthdate: February 7, 1700
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 24, 1773

French cartographer and geographer Philippe Buache significantly developed the field of physical geography. While he initially worked for his father-in-law, cartographer Guillaume Delisle, he later became the royal geographer. He also popularized the use of contour lines in relief maps and pioneered the division of the world into seas and river systems.

 15 
Anton Friedrich Büsching
(German Geographer, Historian, Educator and Theologian)
Anton Friedrich Büsching
0
Birthdate: September 27, 1724
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Stadthagen, Germany
Died: May 28, 1793

Best known for his seven-part magnum opus Erdbeschreibung, German geographer Anton Friedrich Büsching stressed on the statistical study of geography, as opposed to the traditional descriptive study. Ill-treated by his father in childhood, he was taught for free by a clergyman, and grew up to devote himself to geographical science.