Franz Boas (1858-1942), one of the most significant figures in the study of humanity in the early 20th century, founded Cultural Anthropology in America, thereby establishing anthropology as an academic discipline in the United States. Born and raised in a Jewish merchant family in Minden, Westphalia, Boas studied physics, mathematics, and geography in Heidelberg, Kiel, and Bonn. In 1883/84, he embarked on a geographical Arctic expedition to Baffin Land, which reignited his genuine interest in ethnology and anthropology. Boas eventually emigrated to the United States and held a chair in anthropology at Columbia University in New York from 1899 until his retirement in 1936. The liberal-democratic and pacifist ideals of his upbringing accompanied Boas throughout his life.