Origins & Early Life

Carl Ethan Akeley (May 19, 1864 – November 17, 1926) was a pioneering American taxidermist, sculptor, biologist, conservationist, inventor, and nature photographer, noted for his contributions to American museums, most notably to the Milwaukee Public Museum, Field Museum of Natural History and the American Museum of Natural History. He is considered by some to be the father of modern taxidermy. He was the founder of the AMNH Exhibitions Lab, an interdisciplinary department that fuses scientific research with immersive design. Akeley was born to Daniel Webster Akeley and Julia Glidden in Clarendon, New York, and grew up on a farm, attending school for only three years.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He learned taxidermy from David Bruce in Brockport, New York, and then entered an apprenticeship in taxidermy at Ward's Natural Science Establishment in Rochester, New York. While at Ward's Akeley also helped mount P. T. Barnum's Jumbo after he was killed in a railroad accident. In 1886 Akeley moved on to the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Akeley remained in Milwaukee for six years, refining "model" techniques used in taxidermy. At the Milwaukee Public Museum, his early work consisted...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Akashi Motojiro — Contemporary (Born in 1864) (1864): General in the Imperial Japanese Army and Governor-General of Taiwan.
• Alvah Curtis Roebuck — Contemporary (Born in 1864) (1864): Co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company, pioneering American retail businessman.
• Banjo Paterson — Contemporary (Born in 1864) (1864): Iconic Australian bush poet, journalist, and author of 'Waltzing Matilda'
• Abdus Salam — Contemporary (Born in 1926) (1926): Pioneering Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate.
• Alfredo Di Stéfano — Contemporary (Born in 1926) (1926): Argentine and Spanish legend, 'The Blond Arrow,' pivotal to Real Madrid's golden era.
• Allan Sandage — Contemporary (Born in 1926) (1926): Pioneering American astronomer known for determining the Hubble constant and age of the universe.
• Abraham Pais — Shared historical date (05-19 · Born) (1918): Pioneering physicist and acclaimed science historian of modern physics.
• Alcuin — Shared historical date (05-19 · Died) (804): Leading scholar of the Carolingian Renaissance, influential teacher and clergyman.
• Adam Weishaupt — Shared historical date (11-18 · Died) (1830): German philosopher, founder of the Bavarian Illuminati, and legal scholar.
• Ahmed Zaki (actor) — Shared historical date (11-18 · Born) (1949): Iconic Egyptian actor celebrated for intense dramatic performances.
• 1864 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1864
• May 19 (05-19) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on May 19
• 1926 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1926
• November 18 (11-18) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on November 18