One of the most famous travelers, whose contribution to the list of geographical research can hardly be overestimated, is David Livingston. What did this enthusiast discover? His biography and achievements are detailed in the article.
Childhood and youth
The future great discoverer was born on March 19, 1813 in the village of Blantyre near Glasgow (Scotland). His family was poor, his father sold tea on the street, and at the age of 10 the boy had to go to work at a local weaving factory. With his first salary, David Livingston, whose biography is described in the article, bought a Latin grammar book. Despite the fact that he worked hard from 6 am to 8 pm, he found time to study on his own. And then the boy even began to go to evening school, where he studied not only Latin, but also Greek, mathematics and theology. The boy was very fond of reading, especially classical poets in the original, non-fiction literature and travel descriptions.
How the purpose of a lifetime came about
At 19, David Livingston was promoted. This led tohimself and an increase in salary, which he used to study at a medical university. After 2 years, he received his doctorate. At this time, the English church launched an active propaganda to attract volunteers to missionary work. Imbued with this idea, David studied theology in depth, and in 1838 he received the priesthood and applied to join the Missionary Society in London. At the same time, the young priest and doctor met missionary Robert Moffett, who worked in Africa, who convinced Livingston to turn his eyes to the Black Continent.
The beginning of a great lifelong journey
At the end of 1840, a 27-year-old traveler sailed on a ship to Africa. During the journey, he did not waste time, mastering the wisdom of navigation and learning how to correctly determine the coordinates of points on the Earth.
A man landed in Cape Town (the coast of South Africa) on March 14, 1841. Deciding to thoroughly prepare for the work of his life, David Livingston settled among the natives and began to study their language and customs. Six months later, he freely spoke with the savages, which in the future was very useful for him to establish contacts with different tribes when moving deep into the continent.
David didn't sit still. He slowly but stubbornly moved forward, settling for a while in the next tribe, getting acquainted with new customs, making entries in his diaries. By the summer of 1842, Livingstone had crossed much of the Kalahari Desert. No other European has gone so far before him.
Founding your ownmissions. Lion fight
In 1843, Livingston established his mission in Mobots, preaching the gospel to the locals and gradually moving north. The natives treated the missionary with respect, seeing only kindness and participation from him. He zealously defended them from the attacks of the Portuguese and other colonialists, who took the Negroes into slavery, patiently endured all the hardships of a hard life in the African savannas.
In 1844, David Livingston, for whom Africa has become a real home, experienced a terrible adventure. While hunting with members of the tribe, he was attacked by a huge lion and miraculously survived. The beast broke his left arm in several places, leaving the missionary crippled for the rest of his life. He had to learn to hold the gun on his left shoulder and aim with his left eye. In memory of that terrible event, traces of 11 lion teeth remained on his shoulder. The natives began to call the white man the Great Lion.
Marriage. Mission postponement
In 1845, David Livingston married Mary, the daughter of Robert Moffett, the inspiration behind his journey. The wife accompanied her husband on campaigns, resignedly shared all the hardships of the expeditions, in which she bore him 4 sons.
By the time of his marriage, the young man freely communicated with the natives, enjoyed their trust, so he decided to move his mission to the banks of the Kolobeng River. He and his wife settled in the Bakven tribe. Livingston became very friendly with the leader Sechele, who unexpectedly took Christian teachings to heart. He agreed to acceptbaptism, abandoned pagan rites and returned all his wives to their fathers, leaving only one with him. This was both an achievement and at the same time a big problem for a European traveler. The tribe was unhappy with such unusual changes, the events sadly coincided with a severe drought, all this forced the missionary and his wife to leave the mission and move even further deep into the Kalahari Desert, which the natives called the Land of Great Thirst.
Opening of Lake Ngami
Besides missionary work, despite all the difficulties, David Livingston did not forget about research work. He made his discoveries during long expeditions, moving gradually from south to north across the mainland.
On June 1, 1849, a brave traveler with his wife, children and several companions set off across the Kalahari to the Zambezi River, the approximate location of which was marked on the maps of South Africa as far back as the Middle Ages. Livingston was determined to indicate the exact coordinates of the river, explore its course, find its mouth and source.
The long journey took a full 30 days, was exhausting and very difficult, especially for Mary with children. When the travelers came to the river, their joy knew no bounds. Here they met the Bakalahari and Bushmen tribes, who received the strangers cordially, replenished their supplies and provided escorts. The travelers continued their journey up the river and on August 1, 1949, they reached Lake Ngami, hitherto unknown to any European.
For this discovery, David Livingston was awarded the Gold Medal from the RoyalGeographical Society and received a large cash prize.
After all the adventures, the expedition members returned safely to the mission to Kolobeng.
Dilolo Lake and Victoria Falls
In 1852, Livingston sent his wife and sons to Scotland, and with new enthusiasm he moved to the very heart of the Black Continent under the motto: "I will discover Africa or perish."
During the trip 1853-1854 The valley of the Zambezi River and its tributaries were explored. The main event of the expedition was the discovery of Lake Dilolo in 1854, for which the missionary received another Gold Medal from the Geographical Society.
David Livingston's further journey involved finding a convenient road east to the Indian Ocean. In the autumn of 1855, a small detachment again moved down the Zambezi River. A few weeks later, on November 17, a stunning picture appeared before the eyes of travelers: a magnificent waterfall 120 meters high and 1800 meters wide. The natives called it "Mosi wa tunya", which means "Rumbling Water". David named this grandiose natural phenomenon Victoria in honor of the English queen. Today, a monument to the brave Scottish explorer of Africa is erected near the waterfall.
Out to the Indian Ocean. Homecoming
Continuing the exploration of the Zambezi, the missionary drew attention to its northern branch and went along it to the mouth of the river, reaching the coast of the Indian Ocean. On May 20, 1856, the grand transition of the African continent from the Atlantic to the Indian was completed.ocean.
Already on December 9, 1856, a loyal subject of the Queen, David Livingston, returned to Great Britain. What did this tireless traveler and missionary discover in Africa? About all his adventures and geographical discoveries, he wrote a book in 1857. The publisher's fee made it possible to provide well for his wife and children. Awards and titles rained down on David, he was awarded an audience with Queen Victoria, lectured at Cambridge, appealed to local youth with a call for missionary work and the fight against the slave trade.
Second trip to Africa
From March 1, 1858 to July 23, 1864, David Livingston made a second trip to Africa, in which his wife, brother and middle son went with him.
During the expedition, Livingston continued to explore the Zambezi and its tributaries. On September 16, 1859, he discovered Lake Nyasa, clarified the coordinates of the Shire and Ruvuma rivers. During the trip, a huge baggage of scientific observations was collected in such areas as botany, zoology, ecology, geology, ethnography.
The expedition, in addition to joyful impressions from new discoveries, brought Livingston 2 misfortunes: on April 27, 1862, his wife died of malaria, a little later, David received news of the death of his eldest son.
After returning to his homeland, the missionary, in collaboration with his brother, wrote another book about Africa in the summer of 1864.
Third trip to the Black Continent
From January 28, 1866 to May 1, 1873, the famous explorer made his third and last trip tocontinent. Deepening into the steppes of Central Africa, he reached the region of the African Great Lakes, explored Tanganyika, the Lualaba River, and searched for the source of the Nile. Along the way, he made 2 high-profile discoveries at once: November 8, 1867 - Lake Mweru, and July 18, 1868 - Lake Bangweulu.
Difficulties of travel exhausted David Livingston's he alth, and he suddenly fell ill with dengue fever. This forced him to return to the camp in the village of Udzhidzhi. On November 10, 1871, help came to the exhausted and exhausted explorer in the person of Henry Stan, who was equipped in search of a Christian missionary by the New York Harold newspaper. Stan brought medicines and food, thanks to which David Livingston, whose brief biography is described in the article, went on the mend. He soon resumed his research, but unfortunately not for long.
On May 1, 1873, a Christian missionary, a fighter against the slave trade, a famous explorer of South Africa, the discoverer of many geographical objects, David Livingston, died. His heart, in a tin box of flour, was buried with honors by the natives in Chitambo under a large mvula tree. The canned body was sent home and buried on April 18, 1874 in Westminster Abbey.
