Portrait of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Birthday profile

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French priest, palaeontologist, and philosopher (died 1955)

Born
May 1, 1881
Died
April 10, 1955
Zodiac sign
Taurus
Birth year
1881

About Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J. (French: [pjɛʁ tɛjaʁ də ʃaʁdɛ̃]; 1 May 1881 – 10 April 1955) was a French Jesuit priest, scientist, paleontologist, philosopher, mystic and teacher. He investigated the theory of evolution from a perspective influenced by Henri Bergson and Christian mysticism, writing multiple scientific and religious works on the subject. His mainstream scientific achievements include his paleontological research in China, taking part in the discovery of the significant Peking Man fossils from the Zhoukoudian cave complex near Beijing. His more speculative ideas, sometimes criticized as pseudoscientific, have included a vitalist conception of the Omega Point. Along with Vladimir Vernadsky, he contributed to the development of the concept of the noosphere. In 1962, the Holy Office issued a warning regarding Teilhard's works, alleging ambiguities and doctrinal errors without specifying them. Some eminent Catholic figures, including Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, have made positive comments on some of his ideas since. The response to his writings by scientists has been divided. He received several citations, and was awarded the Médaille militaire and the Legion of Honour, the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. == Life == === Early years === Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was born in the Château of Sarcenat, Orcines, about 2.5 miles north-west of Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, French Third Republic, on 1 May 1881, as the fourth of eleven children of librarian Emmanuel Teilhard de Chardin (1844–1932) and Berthe-Adèle, née de Dompierre d'Hornoys of Picardy.

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

Career and life highlights

The world when Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was born

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was born in 1881. 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.

Headlines and milestones

  • Top headlinePresident Garfield assassinated
  • Technology milestoneFirst electric power plant (Godalming, England)
  • World population~1.41B

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderJames A. Garfield / Chester A. Arthur
  • U.S. population51.0M

1881 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure18812026
Population51.0M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

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

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.