Humboldt University of Berlin Notable Alumni: Marx to Weber

The Humboldt University of Berlin is one of the top universities in the world and Germany. It has a rich history and a strong influence on Western and European institutions. This public university in Germany is home to many great thinkers of the past who earned huge reputations in the world. Some of the renowned scientists also came from the university such as Albert Einstein and have done so many inventions and discoveries for the benefit of mankind. In the blog, we will discuss some of the Humboldt University of Berlin notable alumni who became too popular in the world. 

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Notable Alumni of Humboldt University of Berlin

The Humboldt University of Berlin was established in 1810 in Germany. It was founded by Wilhelm Humboldt and Alexander von Humboldt. Currently, there are more than 5000 international students that are studying at the university with a total of 36,566 students. Few people who study at the university gained huge popularity and worldwide recognition. These great people not only served the university as students but also taught at the university. The university has been associated with around 57 Nobel Prize winners including researchers, students, and the faculties. Here, are some of the Humboldt University of Berlin notable alumni that you will be shocked to hear about.

Karl Marx

Karl Marx was a famous economist, philosopher, sociologist, historian, revolutionary socialist and journalist. He was popularly known for his book Das Kapital and the Communist Manifesto. Marx studied at the University of Berlin(currently known as Humboldt University of Berlin), and Bonn. He completed his PhD from the University of Jena in 1841. Marx’s ideas are known as Marxism due to their highest influence on economics and political history.  Marxism has a huge impact on the politics of different countries.

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Max Weber

Max Weber was a German sociologist, political economist, jurist, economist, and popular social sciences. He was born on 21 April 1864 in Erfurt city and Prussia state of Germany. Weber was known for its bureaucratic ideas, the thesis of the “Protestant ethic” that related Protestantism to capitalism. Weber first studied law at the Heidelberg University and later joined the Royal Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin(currently Humboldt University of Berlin). He was one of the founding members of sociology and wrote some of the famous books “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”. 

Max Planck

Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck was a German theoretical physicist born on 23 April 1858 in the German city of Kiel. He is one of the founders of Modern Physics and played an important role in the development of quantum theory. Max gave so many theories and contributed hugely to Physics. Some of his famous equations in Physics were the Boltzmann–Planck equation, the Nernst–Planck equation, the Fokker–Planck equation, and the Kelvin–Planck statement of the second law of thermodynamics. His contribution to Quantum Mechanics includes Planck’s constant, Planck’s law of black body radiation, Planck postulate, etc. Additionally, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918 for the energy quanta discovery. 

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Otto Hahn

Otto Hahn is one of the notable alumni of Humboldt University of Berlin who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944. He was born on 8 March 1879 in Frankfurt Germany. Hahn made a huge contribution to the field of radioactivity discovering so many elements. He was known as the father of nuclear chemistry and nuclear fission. Hahn along with Lise Meitner discovered several radioactive isotopes of thorium, radium, uranium and protactinium.

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Heinrich Hertz

Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was a German physicist born on 22 February 1857 in Hamburg. He obtained his PhD from Humboldt University and did his alma mater from the University of Munich. Hertz worked as a lecturer of theoretical physics at the University of Kiel in 1883. He made several major contributions to Physics including his research in Electromagnetic waves. The unit of frequency which is Hertz is also named after him in his honour.

Otto von Bismarck

Bismarck was a Prussian diplomat, statesman and the chancellor of the German Empire. After the establishment of the empire, he skillfully followed the pacific policies in foreign affairs. He did his education at Humboldt University from 1833 to 1835. Bismatch remained as the foreign minister of Prussia and President from 1862 to 1890. He was best recalled for his role in the unification of Germany.

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Fritz Haber

Fritz Haber is another Nobel Prize winner who was a notable alumnus of the Humboldt University of Berlin. He got the prestigious award in 1918 for the discovery of the Haber–Bosch process in Chemistry. In this process, ammonia is synthesised from the hydrogen and nitrogen gas. The invention was proven to be very useful for the large-scale blend of explosives and fertilizers. Moreover, he was also known as the father of chemical warfare for developing poisonous gases including chlorine for use as a weapon in World War I.

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