Commemoration of Carl Linnaeus

Commemoration of Carl Linnaeus has been ongoing for over two centuries. Celebrated for his scientific work, Linnaeus was knighted and granted nobility (as Carl von Linné) in life. After his death, he has been featured in sculpture, on postage stamps and banknotes, as well as by a medal from the eponymous Linnean Society of London. Several notable people have the given names Linnaeus/Linné (usually for boys) or Linnea/Linnéa (highly popular for girls born in Scandinavia). Among other things named in his honor are plants, astronomical features, towns, an arboretum, a mineral and a university.

By the end of his life in 1778, Carl Linnaeus had become one of the most acclaimed scientists in Europe, the first civilian in Sweden to be dubbed a knight of the Order of the Polar Star (1753) and ennobled as Carl von Linné (1761). The Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote during Linnaeus' lifetime: "I know no greater man on earth."

The German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe would later write: "With the exception of Shakespeare and Spinoza, I know no one among the no longer living who has influenced me more strongly." Swedish author August Strindberg wrote: "Linnaeus was in reality a poet who happened to become a naturalist". Among other compliments, Linnaeus has been called the "Flower King",Princeps botanicorum (Prince of Botanists), "The Pliny of the North," and "The Second Adam".

In 1959, Carl Linnaeus was designated as the lectotype for Homo sapiens, which means that following the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, Homo sapiens is validly defined as the animal species to which Linnaeus belongs.

...
Wikipedia