About Elias Colbert
Lived 1829 – 1921 (aged 92). Elias Colbert was an American journalist, historian and astronomer.
Elias Colbert (April 23, 1829 - June 28, 1921) was a British American astronomer, journalist, educator, mathematician, linguist, professor at the University of Chicago, director of the Dearborn Observatory, and president of the Chicago Astronomical Society. His book, Star Studies: What We Know of the Universe Outside the Earth was an early, 19th century example of interest in the subject of life on Mars.
Selected works Scoriæ: Eulogy on Shakespeare (1864) Astronomy Without a Telescope (1869) Chicago and the Great Conflagration (1871) Star Studies: What We Know of the Universe Outside the Earth (1871) The Lunar Apsides (1885) Washington, Shakespeare and St. George (1893) The Earth Measured (1898)
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Elias Colbert's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Elias Colbert?
American astronomer
When was Elias Colbert born?
Elias Colbert was born on 23 April 1829 in France.
When did Elias Colbert die?
Elias Colbert died on 28 June 1921 in Chicago.
What was Elias Colbert's occupation?
Elias Colbert was a journalist, historian and astronomer.
What nationality was Elias Colbert?
Elias Colbert was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Elias Colbert. https://biography.guide/elias-colbert/
MLA: "Elias Colbert." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/elias-colbert/.
Chicago: "Elias Colbert." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/elias-colbert/.
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