Sven Anders Hedin.
The ancient Norseman’s desire to wander and to conquer still stirs the blood of many of his modern descendants. Happily nowadays, the wandering is done for the benefit of humanity and the conquests are those of peace and not of the “Swan Path.” Sven Anders Hedin, explorer and geographer, is a case in point. He was born at Stockholm, February 19, 1865, and is the son of Ludwig Hedin, official chief architect of Stockholm. When a mere child he exhibited the traits that distinguished his later years, and there are many stories told of how his parents were kept on the alert to prevent their baby—for he was not much more—from playing truant, which he did whenever the opportunity offered. The boy was indeed father to the man, and his parents, on his finishing his education, had the wisdom not to attempt to thwart his expressed desire to become an explorer. Had they done so the world would possess much less geographical knowledge than it now does. After courses in the universities of Stockholm, Upsala, Berlin and Halle, he began his travels. The Orient attracted him, and he made journeys through Persia and Mesopotamia. In 1895 he was a member of King Oscar’s embassy to the Shah of Persia. He is best known in connection with his explorations in Asia, those of Khorasan, Turkestan and Thibet being especially notable. Hedin is the author of many works on travel and has contributed largely to those journals which are published in the interest of science of geography.