Portrait of William Libbey

Birthday profile

William Libbey

William Libbey, American target shooter, colonel, mountaineer, geographer, geologist, and archaeologist (died 1927)

Born
March 27, 1855
Died
September 6, 1927
Zodiac sign
Aries
Birth year
1855

About William Libbey

William A. Libbey III was an American professor of physical geography at Princeton University. He was twice a member of the U.S. Olympic Rifle Team, and rose to the rank of colonel in the New Jersey National Guard. He is also known for his first ascent of Mount Princeton in 1877. He also competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Libbey returned and received his doctorate in geology in 1879, the first awarded by Princeton. At the 1912 Summer Olympics he won the silver medal as a member of the American team in the team running deer, single shots competition. Libbey graduated from Princeton in 1877 and that summer went on the Princeton scientific expedition to the West.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

William Libbey timeline

  1. Libbey graduated from Princeton in 1877 and that summer went on the Princeton scientific expedition to the West.
  2. Libbey returned and received his doctorate in geology in 1879, the first awarded by Princeton.
  3. At the 1912 Summer Olympics he won the silver medal as a member of the American team in the team running deer, single shots competition.

The world when William Libbey was born

William Libbey was born in 1855. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1855

  • Best-selling bookLeaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Headlines and milestones

  • Top headlineBleeding Kansas — pro and anti-slavery violence
  • Technology milestoneBessemer steel process invented
  • World population~1.35B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderFranklin Pierce
  • U.S. population26.4M

1855 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in William Libbey's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure18552026
Population26.4M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, Library of Congress, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

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