NARRATOR: In the spring
of 1799, Humboldt
hiked across the
Spanish peninsula
to catch a ship towards America.
18th century science only
had a limited amount of data.
Humboldt was convinced that
with enough new scientific
information, he would be able
to explain the natural world's
great mysteries.
Aime Bonpland, a
French botanist,
would be his travel companion
for the next five years.
The men set sail on a Spanish
ship towards South America.
41 days later, it
dropped anchor off Cumana
in present-day Venezuela.
Humboldt had brought 42
delicate scientific instruments
to South America.
Somehow, all had survived
the voyage intact.
With their instruments
in good working order,
the two scientists were
ready to systematically
explore the Venezuelan jungle.
Humboldt measured
temperatures and altitudes
and made thousands of
geological observations
while Bonpland collected a
vast array of plant specimens.
The more they discovered,
the more questions arose.
Most people still
believed that plants
and animals were
created by God, entirely
for the use of humankind.
How could this explain the
South American wilderness,
where humans seemed
insignificant compared
to the giants of nature?
Before leaving the Cumana
coast, Humboldt and Bonpland had
one more mission to complete.
They monitored a solar
eclipse that astronomers had
forecast for October 28, 1799.
The event gave
them the data they
needed to pinpoint Cumana's
exact position on the map.
Less than a week
after the Eclipse,
Cumana was rocked
by an earthquake.
While most ran for
safety, Aime and Alexander
rushed to gather data.
It was a life-changing
experience.
MAN: When shocks from
an earthquake are felt
and the earth we
think of as so stable
shakes on its
foundations, one second
his long enough to destroy
long-held illusions.
NARRATOR: At the time, the
dominant scientific view
was that Earth had
been shaped by water.
In the years after his
Cumana earthquake experience,
Humboldt came to conclude
that volcanic forces had
primarily shaped our planet.
It was a crucial
insight that paved
the way for a revolutionary
new understanding of nature.
And he was just getting started.
