Naturalist · 1707 – 1778

Carl Linnaeus

Created binomial nomenclature and the hierarchical classification of life in his Systema Naturae and other works, founding modern taxonomy and giving science a universal language for naming every species.

Discoveries

  • Devised binomial nomenclature, naming each species with a genus and species name.
  • Organized living things into a nested hierarchy of ranks.

Major Works

  • Systema Naturae
  • Species Plantarum

Impact Analysis

Linnaeus gave biology a universal naming system and an orderly map of life, a framework so durable that scientists still use it nearly three centuries later.

Historical influence score: 81/100