Whose Smirk is This? Flashcards
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I am an American historian and author, renowned for my concept of the “Columbian Exchange.”
Alfred Crosby
Known for: “Columbian Exchange”
About: His book “Columbian Exchange”, which examines the ecological and biological exchanges between the Americas and Europe following Columbus’s arrival
His work highlighted how the movement of plants, animals, and diseases shaped societies and environments, leading to major shifts in world history. Crosby’s ideas laid crucial groundwork for environmental history by showing how ecological factors influence global interactions and societal change.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I am an American geographer, historian, and author, best known for my book Guns, Germs, and Steel, which explores the environmental and geographical factors that shaped human societies.
Jared Diamond
Known For: Guns, Germs, and Steel
About: His work emphasizes how environmental constraints and resources influence social development and collapse, sparking a deeper understanding of ecological history.
Diamond’s research has profoundly impacted environmental history by linking environmental factors with human success, adaptation, and failure across civilizations.
whose smirk is this?
lilah 😎
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I was an American writer, philosopher, and naturalist best known for my book Walden, in which I reflected on simple living in natural surroundings.
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
Known For: On Walden Pond
ABOUT: Through his commitment to conservation and detailed observations of nature, Thoreau pioneered the idea of preserving wilderness, inspiring future environmental movements.
His work laid foundational ideas for environmental history, emphasizing the intrinsic value of nature and humanity’s ethical responsibility to protect it.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I am an American marine biologist, author, and conservationist whose groundbreaking book Silent Spring exposed the dangers of pesticides, particularly DDT, on ecosystems.
Rachael Carson
Known For: Silent Spring
About: Her work raised public awareness about environmental health and sparked the modern environmental movement, leading to stricter regulations on pesticides.
Carson’s influence on environmental history is profound, as she demonstrated the interconnectedness of human actions and ecological balance, inspiring environmental activism and policy change worldwide.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I was an 18th-century French philosopher who introduced the idea of climate’s influence on human societies in his work The Spirit of the Laws, often referred to as his “Empire of Climate” theory.
Montesquieu’s
Known For: “Empire of Climate” theory.
ABOUT: He argued that climate and geography shape national characteristics, behaviours, and governance styles, suggesting a direct link between environment and societal structures.
Montesquieu’s ideas were foundational in environmental history, as they framed early thinking on how natural forces influence political and cultural development across civilizations.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I was one of the earliest known warrior-kings, a ruler, and a conduit to the gods, credited with establishing a complex governing hierarchy in Mesopotamia.
Sargon of Akkad
warrior, king, lawyer, conduit to the gods
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I was a 19th-century American physician whose theories linked climate to human development, but I was largely criticized for using environmental determinism to justify racial hierarchies.
Josiah C. Nott
Known For: “Types of Mankind” (1854)
ABOUT: His work marks a problematic chapter in environmental history, highlighting the misuse of environmental science to support social inequality.
“Types of Mankind” (1854): Co-authored with George R. Gliddon, this work compiled ethnological research to support the concept of distinct human races, reinforcing scientific racism prevalent at the time.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I was an American anthropologist known for my studies of Native American cultures.
James Mooney (1861-1921)
Known For: Influenced the “Pristine Myth”
Working with the Smithsonian’s Bureau of American Ethnology, documented indigenous traditions and estimated a low pre-contact Native American population of about 1.15 million.
Published in 1910, his estimate influenced early environmental views, reinforcing the “Pristine Myth” that the Americas were largely untouched before European arrival.
This estimate shaped early perceptions of Native American environmental impact, though it has since been challenged by later studies suggesting a much larger pre-contact population.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I was a pioneering American anthropologist known for my work on Indigenous population estimates in the Americas.
Henry F. Dobyns
Known for: article, “Estimating Aboriginal American Population,”
ABOUT: His 1966 article, “Estimating Aboriginal American Population,” argued that pre-contact populations were much higher than previously thought and were drastically reduced by diseases introduced by Europeans.
This challenged the “Pristine Myth” and highlighted the severe impact of colonization on Indigenous communities and ecosystems.
His work remains influential in understanding the environmental and human history of the Americas.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi, I am a British naval officer and explorer known for my detailed surveys of the Pacific Northwest coastline, particularly around present-day British Columbia, Canada.
George Vancouver (1757–1798)
Known for: Documenting evidence of Indigenous depopulation along the Pacific Northwest coast, likely due to pre-contact European diseases.
ABOUT: His records from these explorations, especially observations of indigenous communities and environmental conditions, provide valuable historical insights.
Vancouver’s accounts are significant in environmental history as they offer evidence of depopulated indigenous regions along the coast, likely due to the spread of European diseases before substantial European settlement, thus supporting theories of pre-contact depopulation and challenging notions of an untouched “pristine” environment.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I was a Spanish explorer and conquistador known for leading the first European expedition deep into what is now the southeastern United States.
My journey introduced diseases that devastated Native populations, disrupting their land management practices. I also brought pigs, which escaped and became an invasive species, spreading disease and impacting local ecosystems.
Hernando de Soto (c. 1500–1542)
Known for: His expedition marked the start of European-driven environmental change in North America.
ABOUT: His expedition left a lasting impact on environmental history, as the introduction of European diseases caused widespread depopulation among Indigenous communities, disrupting traditional land management practices like controlled burns and cultivation.
This shift led to significant ecological changes, including reforestation in some areas and altered biodiversity.
De Soto’s journey marked an early instance of European-driven resource exploitation in the Americas, setting a precedent for the environmental impacts of colonial expansion.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I was a British agricultural innovator who popularized four-field crop rotation, including nitrogen-fixing crops like turnips and clover.
Charles “Turnip” Townshend (1674–1738)
Known for: His 4-Field Crop Rotation with clover, wheat, turnips and barley as the four crops grown in rotation. With the clover and turnips removing the need for a fallow area.
Townshend’s techniques boosted food production, supported population growth, and freed labour for the Industrial Revolution, marking a key step in sustainable soil management and influencing modern agricultural practices.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the steam engine in the 18th century powered the Industrial Revolution.
James Watt (1736 to 1819)
Known for: His improvements to the steam engine, which played a key role in powering the Industrial Revolution.
His work made steam engines more efficient, transforming industries and transportation and fueling factory growth across Europe. By enabling large-scale use of coal, his invention also marked a major turning point in energy use and had lasting environmental impacts.
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I am an Anglo-American historian renowned for pioneering the interdisciplinary field of Big History, which examines history from the Big Bang to the present by integrating insights from various disciplines, including astronomy, geology, biology, and anthropology.
David Christian
Born on June 30, 1946, he earned his Ph.D. from Oxford University in 1974, specializing in Russian and Soviet Union history. In 1989, he began teaching the first course on Big History, aiming to place human history within the broader context of the universe’s history.
Christian has authored several works on the subject, including “Maps of Time” and “Origin Story: A Big History of Everything.”
Whose smirk is this?
Hi! I am an economist and theorist known for challenging traditional views on agricultural development.
I proposed the idea that population growth drives advancements in food production, a concept known as the Population Pressure Hypothesis.
Ester Boserup
Known for: Her Population Pressure Hypothesis, which argues that population growth drives agricultural intensification.
Unlike Malthus, who believed that food production limits population growth, Boserup suggested that as populations grow, societies are motivated to develop new agricultural techniques to increase food supply.
Her work emphasizes human ingenuity and adaptability in the face of resource demands and has had a lasting impact on theories of agricultural development and economic sustainability.
