Daniel Solander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniel Solander
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Painting by William Parry made after Captain Cook's second voyage (c. 1775–1776). This depicts Omai, a Tahitian, Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander (seated).
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| Born | 19 February 1733 Piteå, Norrbotten, Sweden
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| Died | 13 May 1782 (aged 49) London, England
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| Nationality | Swedish |
| Alma mater | Uppsala University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Botany Zoology |
| Author abbrev. (botany) | Sol. |
Daniel Carlsson Solander (born February 19, 1733 – died May 13, 1782) was a Swedish naturalist. A naturalist is a scientist who studies nature, including plants and animals. He was a student of the famous scientist Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-trained scientist to visit Australia.
Contents
Daniel Solander's Life Story
Early Life and Studies
Daniel Solander was born in Piteå, Sweden. His father was a church leader. In July 1750, Daniel started studying at Uppsala University. He first studied languages, history, and law.
However, the professor of botany (the study of plants) was Carl Linnaeus. Linnaeus was very famous. He was impressed by young Daniel's skills. Linnaeus convinced Daniel's father to let him study natural history. This is the study of living things and nature.
In June 1760, Solander traveled to England. He wanted to share Linnaeus's new way of classifying plants and animals. In February 1763, he started working at the British Museum. He helped organize their collections of natural history. The next year, he became a member of the Royal Society. This is a group for important scientists.
Exploring the World with Captain Cook
In 1768, Solander joined a big adventure. He got time off from the British Museum. He went with Joseph Banks on James Cook's first trip to the Pacific Ocean. They sailed on a ship called the Endeavour.
Solander and Banks were the plant experts on the trip. They found so many new plants that they inspired the name Botanist Bay. This place later became Botany Bay in Australia. It was where Cook's group first landed in Australia.
The Endeavour was damaged on the Great Barrier Reef. It had to stay for almost seven weeks in a place now called Cooktown. During this time, Solander helped collect and describe many Australian plants. These plants later became part of a famous collection called Banks' Florilegium.
Solander also wrote about all the plants they found in New Zealand. They spent six months there during the trip. His book was called Primitiae Florae Novae Zelandiae. It meant 'beginnings of a New Zealand flora'. It was never officially published. But anyone interested could study it at Banks' home in London. Later, it was moved to the British Museum.
When Solander returned to Britain in 1771, he became the first Swede to travel all the way around the world. This is called circumnavigating the globe.
Life After the Voyage
After his big voyage, Solander went back to his job at the British Museum. He also worked with Banks on the Florilegium plant collection. In 1772, he joined Banks on another trip. This time they went to Iceland and some islands near Scotland.
From 1773 to 1782, he was in charge of the Natural History Department at the British Museum. In 1773, he was also chosen as a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Daniel Solander passed away at Joseph Banks' home in London. He was 49 years old. He died on May 13, 1782, from a brain haemorrhage. He is buried in the Swedish part of Brookwood Cemetery.
Solander's Lasting Impact
Solander did not publish many books himself. This is partly because he died young. He had detailed notes for most of the plants he found on the Endeavour trip. But he waited for over 700 pictures to be finished. After he died, Joseph Banks, who was a very important scientist, did not publish the plant collection. If he had, Solander would be even more famous today.
Some people think Banks treated Solander more like a helper than an equal scientist. But Banks clearly cared a lot about Solander. He paid for Solander's expenses and even helped his family in Sweden. Banks once wrote that he felt "mortal pain" thinking about Solander's death. Solander worked for the British Museum, but Banks also paid him to help with his own collections.
The Solander Box
Solander invented a special type of storage box. It looks like a book but opens up to hold things. It is called the Solander box. Libraries and archives still use these boxes today. They are great for storing important papers, drawings, and dried plant samples.
Places and Plants Named After Him
Many places and plants are named after Daniel Solander.
- Solander Gardens in London, England.
- The Solander Islands off New Zealand's South Island.
- Cape Solander in the Kamay Botany Bay National Park in Australia.
- A building in Sydney, Australia, is named the Daniel Solander building.
- Solander Island off the coast of Vancouver Island, Canada.
- A type of tree, Fuscospora solandri (black beech), is named after him.
- The Providence Petrel, a type of bird, is scientifically named Pterodroma solandri.
- The shrub Banksia solandri is also named after him.
- In his hometown of Piteå, Sweden, there is a Solander Science Park.
The 'Daniel Solander Library' is in the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, Australia. It was started in 1852. It is the oldest library in Australia for plant research.
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Solander para niños
- European and American voyages of scientific exploration
