When was Ernst Haeckel born?

Ernst Haeckel was born on 16 February 1834 in Potsdam.

What positions has Ernst Haeckel held?

Positions held by Ernst Haeckel include: rector of the University of Jena (1884–1885); rector of the University of Jena (1876–1876).

Where did Ernst Haeckel study?

Ernst Haeckel was educated at Frederick William University Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

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Ernst Haeckel

अर्नस्ट हेकेल

German zoologist (1834-1919)

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Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; German: [ɛʁnst ˈhɛkl̩]; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoologist, naturalist, eugenicist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist and artist. He discovered, described and named thousands of new species, mapped a genealogical tree relating all life forms and coined many terms in biology, including ecology, phylum, phylogeny, ontogeny, and Protista. Haeckel promoted and popularised Charles Darwin's work in Germany and developed the disproven but influential recapitulation theory (summed up by the dictum "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"), later generalizing it into the so called "Biogenetic Law". He wrongly claimed that an individual organism's biological development, or ontogeny, parallels and summarizes its species' evolutionary development, or phylogeny, using incorrectly drawn images of human embryonic development to derive the law. Whether they were intentionally falsified, or drawn poorly by accident is a matter of debate.

Quick facts

Born: 16 February 1834 wd
Place of birth: Potsdam wd
Died: 9 August 1919 wd
Place of death: Jena wd
Citizenship: German Empire, Weimar Republic wd
Occupation: biologist, physician, zoologist, philosopher, naturalist, ecologist wd
Education: Frederick William University Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin wd
Spouse: Anna Sethe, Agnes Huschke wd

Positions held wd

rector of the University of Jena (1884–1885)
rector of the University of Jena (1876–1876)

Awards wd

Darwin Medal (1900)
Cothenius Medal (1864)
Darwin–Wallace Medal (1908)
Linnean Medal (1894)
Bressa Prize (1895)
Swammerdam Medal (1890)

About

The published artwork of Haeckel includes over 100 detailed, multi-colour illustrations of animals and sea creatures, collected in his Kunstformen der Natur ("Art Forms in Nature"), a book which would go on to influence the Art Nouveau artistic movement. As a philosopher, Ernst Haeckel wrote Die Welträthsel (1895–1899; in English: The Riddles of the Universe, 1900), the genesis for the term "world riddle" (Welträtsel); and Freedom in Science and Teaching to support teaching evolution. He also coined the "Biogenetic Law".

Haeckel promoted scientific racism and embraced the idea of Social Darwinism. He was the first person to characterize the Great War as the "first" World War, which he did as early as 1914.

Questions

When was Ernst Haeckel born?: Ernst Haeckel was born on 16 February 1834 in Potsdam.
What positions has Ernst Haeckel held?: Positions held by Ernst Haeckel include: rector of the University of Jena (1884–1885); rector of the University of Jena (1876–1876).
Where did Ernst Haeckel study?: Ernst Haeckel was educated at Frederick William University Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Sources

Last updated 31 October 2026 · facts checked 4 November 2026

Cite this page

"Ernst Haeckel". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/ernst-haeckel. Retrieved 5 November 2026.

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Text from the Wikipedia article Ernst Haeckel, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Ernst Haeckel 5.jpg — Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain.

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