Alexander von Humboldt quiz

More questions about Alexander von Humboldt

These visible examples show the question style. LearnClash turns the full topic into ranked duels and spaced repetition.

1. 1 Easy

   How many years did Humboldt's journey through the Americas last?

   Answer: Five

   Why: The journey took in present-day Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Cuba, Mexico and part of the United States.

2. 2 Medium

   How did fishermen tire out electric eels for Humboldt?

   Answer: With horses

   Why: A 2016 study showed that electric eels really do leap out of the water to shock threats, as Humboldt described.

3. 3 Hard

   What did Humboldt name the wild swings of a compass needle?

   Answer: Magnetic storm

   Why: When blasts of solar wind shake Earth's magnetic field, magnetic storms and bright auroras follow.

4. 4 Easy

   Who was born in 1769 like Humboldt and later became emperor?

   Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte

   Why: Born on 15 August 1769, Napoleon was just a month older than Humboldt.

5. 5 Medium

   Who shares the lead with Humboldt in the novel Measuring the World?

   Answer: Carl Friedrich Gauss

   Why: By 2012 the novel had sold more than 2.3 million copies in Germany alone.

6. 6 Hard

   Which waterway linking the Orinoco and Amazon did Humboldt explore?

   Answer: Casiquiare

   Why: The Casiquiare is the world's largest river bifurcation, carrying water from the Orinoco into the Rio Negro.