Jan 14, 2021
Petr Semenov-Tian-Shansky's 194th Birthday
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today’s Doodle celebrates the multi-talented Russian geographer, author, and statistician Petr Petrovich Semenov-Tian-Shansky. A pioneering explorer of Asia’s Tien Shan mountain system, Semenov made huge strides in varied fields including geography, botany, statistics, and economics—all while amassing a comprehensive collection of Dutch and Flemish artwork and over 700,00 insects.
Petr Petrovich Semenov was born into a wealthy family on this day in 1827 near the city of Ryazan in Western Russia. He took an interest in botany and history as a child and went on to study natural sciences at St. Petersburg University. Following his graduation, he was admitted to the prestigious Russian Geographical Society, where he set out to translate work by the famous German geographer Karl Ritter. It was this project that first inspired Semenov to explore Central Asia’s Tien Shan mountain range, which was almost entirely uncharted by western scientists.
In 1856, Semenov embarked on his legendary first expedition of the Tien Shan. Over the course of two journeys, he classified enormous areas of mountainous terrain, and discovered eight new plant species. After his return, Semenov was elected vice president of the Russian Geographical Society and encouraged a new generation to follow in his footsteps as explorers. Semenov became a senator in 1882 and went on to spearhead Russia’s first population census in 1897.
In honor of his geographic accomplishments, Semenov was given the honorific title of Tian-Shansky on the 50-year anniversary of his iconic excursion.
Happy birthday to a fearless adventurer who reached the highest peaks of scientific progress.
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