Lauge Koch (5 July 1892 – 5 June 1964) was a Danish geologist and Arctic explorer .
38-461: Lauge Koch was born in 1892 to Karl and Elisabeth Koch. His development as a scientist was greatly influenced by his father's second cousin Johan Peter Koch - a polar explorer, a member of several Greenland expeditions, including Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen 's and Alfred Wegener 's (in the latter's expedition (1912-1913) to cross Greenland, he led a sledging party). He received his higher education at
76-485: A phantom island supposedly lying between NE Greenland and Svalbard. This elusive land was allegedly seen as well by Lauge Koch from the air in 1933. Koch later led the 1912–13 Danish Expedition to Queen Louise Land , a sled expedition across the inland ice of Greenland, also known as the "1912-13 Danish Expedition to Queen Louise Land and across North Greenland’s Inland Ice," with Alfred Wegener , Vigfús Sigurðsson, and Lars Larsen. Koch received, among other honors,
114-684: A bitter conflict arose between Koch and eleven of the most prominent Danish geologists of the day, including O. B. Bøggild , director of The Mineralogical Museum and professor at the Geological Institute of Copenhagen University , and Victor Madsen [ sv ] , head of the Geological Survey of Denmark . Controversy started with a review of the Lauge Koch book Geologie von Grönland (1935) written by ‘the eleven’ and accusing Koch of poor and improper scientific practice. Relating to
152-463: A channel —the so-called " Peary Channel ". Koch's observations of the interior of Independence Fjord led to considerable cartographic changes compared with the Peter Freuchen map of 1912. In 1922 he mapped Hiawatha Glacier , and noted that the glacier tongue extended into Lake Alida (near Foulk Fjord ). In 1938, Lauge Koch found in the mountains west of Jameson Land , near Scoresby Sound ,
190-507: A gift from AGS President John H. Finley. In his position as editor-in-chief of The New York Times , Finley invited early heroes of exploration and aviation to draw their routes and sign their names on his 18-inch globe. The society has continued the custom and has created a symbol of humanity's drive to explore the universe. Signers of the Fliers' & Explorers' Globe over the years are men and women who have explored certain places on earth for
228-626: A joint interest in polar exploration, and readily organized the AGS upon the request of Lady Franklin to search for her husband and his voyagers lost in the Polar Franklin Expedition . In September 1851, the committee formed to draft a constitution. On October 9, this committee undertook the constitution at a meeting held in the Geographical and Statistical Library in New York City. The society
266-580: A long sled voyage from Danmarkshavn to Peary Land , Koch along with the Greenlander Tobias Gabrielsen searched for the lost party, and found only the Greenlander Jørgen Brønlund on whose body were recovered the charts hand drawn by Niels Peter Høeg Hagen which completed the map of Greenland. In 1907 Koch, together with Aage Bertelsen , was reported to have first seen Fata Morgana Land ( Danish : Fata Morgana Landet ),
304-541: A new caliber of regional experts, disseminate GIS data freely to the public and publish the results in popular media and scholarly journal. Each expedition is titled a Bowman Expedition, in honor of past AGS Director, Isaiah Bowman . Others include: The AGS archive contains field notes, original maps, sketches, photographs, journals, artifacts, correspondence, expedition flags and memorabilia, field equipment, telegrams, press clippings, event programs, radio logs, meeting records, and many other documents and artifacts. In 2011
342-494: A peer-reviewed, scholarly periodical devoted exclusively to geography titled Geographical Review . The journal contains articles on all aspects of current topical and regional issues within geography. Additionally, the society publishes a forty-page, full-color journal titled Focus' in Geography , which includes articles on a variety of topics aimed towards a broader audience of students, teachers, administrators and parents. Focus
380-515: A permanent infrastructure in the field caused a change in the whole culture and organization of Danish Arctic exploration. His last expedition was the 1956-58 Expedition to East Greenland in which he used helicopters. But the Danish government cut funding in mid-expedition and Koch's career as expedition leader was terminated. The mineral kochite which is found in Mt Hvide Ryg , Werner Bjerge , and
418-452: Is Pingut [ sv ] mountain, which is the highest mountain in this land and also the northernmost basalt mountain in Greenland. On the north side, J.P. Koch land is bounded by Upernavik Icefjord , in the west and south by Eqaluarssuit Fjord ( sv ). The land is about 1010 square-km in area. The J.P. Koch Glacier was named in his honour. This article about an explorer
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#1732885107579456-489: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . American Geographical Society The American Geographical Society ( AGS ) is an organization of professional geographers , founded in 1851 in New York City . Most fellows of the society are Americans , but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world. The society encourages activities that expands geographical knowledge, and
494-417: Is edited and written by academic and professional geographers and includes theme sections; maps and photos; and special country issues. Ubique , the society's thrice-yearly letter newsletter, serves as a vehicle for communication of Society news and events. Ubique is sent to all Fellows, Associates, Medalists, Geography Department Heads, and Galileo Circle Members. The AGS also provides geographers to speak to
532-553: The Armistice of 11 November 1918 , President Woodrow Wilson and the American Delegation sailed for France . With them sailed AGS Director Isaiah Bowman and three truckloads of geographical information compiled by Bowman and 150 geographers, historians, economists, statisticians , ethnographers , political scientists, and scholars of international law. The AGS was instrumental in providing technical and professional support to
570-598: The University of Copenhagen , where he began his studies in 1911, in 1920 he received a master's degree , and in 1929 a doctor's degree , having defended a dissertation on the topic " Stratigraphy of Greenland". He was the renowned leader of 24 Danish government expeditions to Greenland , and the central character in the Lauge Koch Controversy , an international and intra-national conflict. Beginning in December 1935
608-434: The "American Geographical Society". The society's first and most ambitious attempt to influence governmental policy was made early in 1862. On January 7, a special committee was appointed to devise a taxation system to correspond with the present state of public affairs. The committee prepared a report which was printed and distributed to members of the society, members of Congress, and other public functionaries throughout
646-539: The AGS arranges an array of expeditions to various locations. The expeditions the society has been connected with fall into three categories: Most notably: A Transcontinental Excursion was arranged and executed by the AGS in 1912. The idea for this excursion was generated by Professor William Morris Davis who, in 1908 "tried the unique experiment of conducting a geographical excursion in Europe, open to students of European and American universities". The excursion promoted
684-416: The AGS have organized a Travel Program, sponsoring in excess of 250 educational trips for the general public. The AGS Travel Program lecturers are professional geographers, fellows of the society and authorities on the regions traveled. Trips are conducted through various means of travel, including private jet and ship. The American Geographical Society acquired its Fliers' & Explorers' Globe in 1929 as
722-454: The AGS moved to 3755 Broadway at 156th Street. This three story building was built on land donated by Archer Milton Huntington 's mother and designed by Charles Pratt Huntington . Audubon Terrace became the society's most prominent home and was visited by many scholars and dignitaries, including President Woodrow Wilson . After numerous relocations across New York City, the AGS is currently housed at 121 Sixth Avenue , Manhattan. The AGS
760-564: The AGS of NY and the AGS Library at UW Milwaukee began a project to organize, rehouse and create the finding aid for the society archives. The AGS Library was transferred to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 1978. It holds a large collection of material from Latin American and the Polar Regions and contains over one-million items, some dating back to the 15th century. Since 1984,
798-518: The AGS-sponsored exploration was the requirement that its expeditions produce tangible scientific results. The AGS was founded by 31 New Yorkers, who were wealthy philanthropists, historians, publishers and editors. Among them were George Folsom , Henry Grinnell , Henry Varnum Poor , Hiram Barney , Alexander Isaac Cotheal, Henry Evelyn Pierrepont, S. De Witt Bloodgood, John Romeyn Brodhead , Joshua Leavitt and Archibald Russell. The founders held
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#1732885107579836-741: The American Geographical Society were initially established at New York University in Washington Square. The university's chapel was used for some of the society's lectures and the AGS remained at this location until 1858. Later, two rooms located in Clinton Hall, formerly the Astor Opera House , became the society's next home in December 1858. In 1866, the American Geographical Society moved to Cooper Union at Cooper Square on Ninth Street, where it remained for ten years. In 1911,
874-615: The International Geographical Congress in Warsaw, Poland. During this trip Louise traveled throughout Poland with local experts, documenting the life, work and customs of the rural people, a population that would undergo drastic changes during and after the Second World War. The AGS published her second book, Rural Poland . After World War I , the society undertook an ambitious effort to map "Hispanic America" as part of
912-573: The United States. The society also began to integrate globally within the international geographical community, sending a council member to attend the first International Geographical Congress . During World War I, the interdisciplinary, government-sponsored "Inquiry" in preparation for the Paris Peace Conference was led by the AGS and headquartered in the society's building in New York. After
950-643: The Vega medal of the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography . He also became a member of the International Polar Commission . J.P. Koch Land 72°35′N 54°15′W / 72.583°N 54.250°W / 72.583; -54.250 in north-west Greenland was named after him. This ice-free peninsula is bounded by the Greenland Ice Sheet on the west side. There, next to the glacier,
988-499: The acquaintance of European geographers with Americans. Currently, the AGS sends teams of scholars to improve U.S. understanding of foreign lands and peoples, in order to reduce international misunderstandings and improve humanitarian assistance in case of natural disasters, technological accidents, terrorist acts and war. The organization aims to build a multi-scale Geographic information system (GIS) for each world region, collect unclassified GIS data, conduct participatory GIS, train
1026-447: The first time in recorded history, reached new extremes of height or depth, pioneered new means of travel, or set aviation records. Among them are such people as Charles Lindbergh , Amelia Earhart , Sir Edmund Hillary , William Beebe , Louise Arner Boyd and the Apollo 13 astronauts. Signers of the Fliers' & Explorers' Globe are proposed by AGS' Exploration Committee for approval by
1064-583: The former Greenland county of Tunu was named for Koch in honor of his explorations in the same areas. The coelacanth Laugia from the Early Triassic of Greenland is named in his honor. Koch was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the American Geographical Society in 1924, its Daly Medal in 1930, as well as the Vega medal of the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography . In 1927 he
1102-523: The international effort to map the entire world at 1:1,000,000. The venture lasted from 1920 to 1945 and eventually produced 107 map sheets at a total cost of more than one-half million dollars, mostly in private donations. During World War II , the society assisted more than forty agencies of the U.S. government. Contributing ethnographic data to U.S. Military Intelligence in the efforts to defuse Axis strongholds in Eastern Europe. The headquarters of
1140-605: The interpretation of that knowledge so that it can be useful to geographers and other disciplines, especially in a policymaking environment. It is the oldest nationwide geographical organization in the United States . Over the century and a half of its existence, the AGS has been especially interested in three regions: the Arctic, the Antarctic, and Latin America. A signature characteristic of
1178-471: The many polar expeditions of Louise Arner Boyd during the 1930s. Her long-time friendship with geographer and future Johns Hopkins University president, Isaiah Bowman , helped inspire in Louise a lifelong interest in geography and photography, which proved invaluable on all her expeditions. The AGS published her book, The Fiord Region of East Greenland , and also sent her in 1934 as the organization's delegate to
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1216-471: The media on a variety of issues critical to human, environmental, political, and economic development. The AGS Writers Circle produces Commentary and Op Ed pieces about issues of importance to global society, such as geopolitics , spatial technologies (e.g. Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) and Spatial Modeling), water management, global climate change , globalization , urban growth and change, and social issues. To contribute to geographical understanding,
1254-542: The skeleton of a huge extinct mammal similar to the head of a gigantic animal with huge teeth found by Professor Selim Hassan in 1935 near the pyramid of Chephren . The skeleton found by Koch was displayed at the museum in Copenhagen . Amongst his other contributions to the sciences, in the mid-1930s Koch established a network of field stations and traveling huts in Central East Greenland. This establishment of
1292-543: The years 1921–23 in which Lauge Koch conducted the Bicentenary Jubilee Expedition to North Greenland in the year of the bicentennial jubilee of Hans Egede 's landing in Greenland, Koch made a sledge journey along the north coast of Greenland, round Peary Land and back across the Inland Ice. On this journey Koch discovered a depression which in his opinion was the one that Robert Peary in 1892 had mistaken for
1330-887: Was awarded the Patron's Medal of the British Royal Geographical Society for his work in Greenland and the Hans Egede Medal of the Royal Danish Geographical Society . In 1949 he was awarded the Mary Clark Thompson Medal from the National Academy of Sciences . Johan Peter Koch Johan Peter Koch (15 January 1870 – 13 January 1928) was a Danish captain and explorer of the Arctic dependencies of Denmark, born at Vestenskov . He
1368-606: Was awarded the Scottish Geographical Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 2001. The society has possessed a diverse line of presidents, including a New York City Mayor and The New York Times Editor. The first president was George Bancroft , an American historian and statesman who was prominent in the promotion of secondary education and public policy. The society's presidents have included: Other leaders The AGS publishes
1406-542: Was not fully established until December 7, 1854, under a charter granted by legislator of the State of New York' The society was primarily named the "American Geographical and Statistical Society"; possibly due to the fact that the organizational meeting was held in New York University 's "Geographical and Statistical Library". In 1871, the AGS amended its Charter and dropped "and Statistical" from its title, thus becoming
1444-482: Was the uncle of the geologist Lauge Koch J.P. Koch participated in Amdrup 's expedition to east Greenland in 1900 and was one of the general staff of the surveying expeditions to Iceland in 1903–1904. In 1906–1908 he was a member of the ill-fated Denmark expedition led by Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen , which mapped the last pieces of the northeastern coast of Greenland . On the death of Mylius-Erichsen and two others on
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