Alfred Grandidier (December 20, 1836 - September 13, 1921) was a French naturalist and explorer. December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Natural history is an umbrella term for what are now usually viewed as a number of distinct scientific disciplines. ... See also explorations, sea explorers, astronaut, conquistador, travelogue, the History of Science and Technology and Biography. ...

From a very wealthy family, he and his brother, Ernest Grandidier (1833-1912), undertook a voyage around the world. At first they were led by the astronomer and physicist Pierre Jules César Janssen (1824-1907), but he fell sick and had to return to France at the end of six months. 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ... Pierre Jules César Janssen (February 22, 1824–December 23, 1907) was a French astronomer who in 1868 discovered how to observe solar prominences without an eclipse. ... 1824 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

They visited South America in 1858 and 1859 and in particular the Andes, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil. During this voyage they gathered a significant collection of specimens which were analyzed, in 1860, by Ernest. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Note that the geology in this article currently reflects views from the first decade of the 20th century. ...

The two brothers parted ways after this. Ernest Grandidier went to China and collected a vast number of specimens which are now in the Louvre and the Guimet museum. Alfred travelled to India, reaching it in 1863. The main courtyard of the Louvre. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

In 1864 and 1865, Grandidier continued his travels to places like Zanzibar, Réunion and Madagascar. He became devoted to the study of the island and made frequent visits. He finally returned permanently to France in 1870. 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Map of Zanzibars main island Zanzibar, Tanzania, comprises a pair of islands off the east coast of Africa called Zanzibar (Unguja) (1994 est. ... Réunion is an island, as well as an overseas département (département doutre-mer, or DOM) of France, located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 km southwest of Mauritius. ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

He wrote many articles on the geology and zoology of the places he visited. These works include the immense 40 volume work on Madagascar, published posthumously by his son Guillaume Grandidier.

Alfred Grandidier's work drew the attention of the French government to Madagascar, which it would annex at the end of 1890. 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

He was elected to the French Academy of Sciences in 1885 and was the president of the French Geographical Society from 1901 to 1905. The French Academy of Sciences (Académie des sciences) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean_Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. ... 1885 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...