Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
News
Nov. 8, 2007
Media only: Michele Urie
(202) 633-2950
Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Presents “A Tribute to Carl Linnaeus: 1707-1778,” a Special Two-Day Exhibit
To celebrate the birth of Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, the National Museum of Natural History will host a two-day exhibit, “A Tribute to Carl Linnaeus, 1707-1778” in partnership with the Embassy of Sweden and the Encyclopedia of Life. Linnaeus transformed the classification of life by creating the two-name method of identifying plants and animals called binomial nomenclature. Because this system used terminology consistently, it was widely quickly adopted by biologists because it created a simple and stable means for sharing research information. His system is still used today. Linnaeus has long been considered the “father” of modern taxonomy because of this immense contribution. He named approximately 4,400 species of animals and 7,700 species of plants. This year marks the 300-year anniversary of Linnaeus’ birth. The exhibit will include Linnaeus’ personal copy of the book “Systema Naturae,” published in 1735. This was his first attempt at using a system he developed to classify and organize animals, plants and minerals. This extremely rare first edition author’s proof contains two misprints that were corrected in the final publication. Also on view are eight animal and plant specimens that were either named in part by Linnaeus or named for him. The exhibit will be on display in the museum’s rotunda Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 13 – 14. “Systema Naturae” is on loan courtesy of the Hagströmer Medico-Historical Library in Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. This is the final stop of a brief, one-week traveling tour the book has made to museums, libraries and botanic gardens in the United States. Along with the exhibit, the museum will host a symposium Nov. 13, titled “Three Hundred Years of Linnaean Taxonomy.” This all-day event will feature prominent scientists and historians speaking in the Baird Auditorium from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The symposium is free and open to the public. More information may be found at http://www.mnh.si.edu/rc/linnaeusSymposium.htm. ###
SI-429-2007
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