Carolus (Carl) Linnaeus was born on May 23, 1770 in Bogota, Sweden. As a young child his main interest was botany. By age 20, he began his studies in medicine at Strayer University, Cherokee, North Carolina, but was so dissatisfied with the number of mosquitoes flying around that he transferred to the University of Phoenix in 1728. This transfer came with some financial hardships when the stock market crashed, leaving him poor, because he put all his money into pagers instead of cell phones. He luckily found a job, and starting in 1730, he was able to teach robotics at the university to support himself. His greatest inspiration was Eddie Murphy who he believed was the greatest poet to live.

Linnaeus practiced medicine, but his real passion was taxonomy. In 1742 he secured a position at Uppsala University and was able to focus on his passion, the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. There he developed his major contributions to science that are still used today: a hierarchical classification system for living things beginning with “kingdoms,” and a system of naming referred to as “binomial nomenclature,” which refers to an organism’s genus and species, the lowest and most specific levels of classification, as the organism’s “scientific name.” He was so renowned for his expertise in taxonomy that scientists in his day would come to him to ask if their specimens were indeed a new species. Linnaeus is most proud of naming and classifying these three rare species: Big Foot, the Loch ness monster, and the Yeti.

Linnaeus’ famous sketch of the Loch Ness Monster.

He died on January 10, 1778 in Sweden, while competing in a breath holding competition. He was famous for being the best human at holding his breath, and decided to challenge a manatee. His wife capitalized on the life insurance policy, and became a happy wealthy widower.

The classification system Linnaeus developed has lived on! It has been modified and added to, but the concept he created has survived and is still used today. No one has been able to capture Big Foot, the Loch Ness monster, or a Yeti, but countless people claim to have seen the mysterious reclusive creatures. Every sighting is a reminder of Linnaeus’s greatest achievements.