One of the most famous travelers whose contribution to the list of geographical studies is hard to overestimate is David Livingston. What did this enthusiast discover? His biography and achievements are presented in detail 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 the boy at the age of 10 had to go to work at a local weaving factory. David Livingston, whose biography is described in the article, bought a Latin grammar textbook on his first salary. Despite the fact that he worked hard from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., 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 the Greek language, mathematics and theology. The boy was very fond of reading, especially the classic poets in the original, popular science literature and travel descriptions.
How did the goal of a lifetime arise?
At 19, David Livingston received a promotion. This entailed an increase in the salary, which he used to study at a medical university. After 2 years, he received a doctorate. At this time, the English Church launched active propaganda to attract volunteers to missionary work. Imbued with this idea, David studied theology in depth, and in 1838 he was ordained a priest and applied for joining the Missionary Society in London. At the same time, the young priest and doctor met with missionary Robert Moffet, who worked in Africa, who persuaded Livingston to turn his eyes to the Black Continent.
The beginning of a great life-long journey
At the end of 1840, the 27-year-old traveler sailed on a ship to Africa. During the journey, he did not lose time in vain, mastering the wisdom of navigation and learning how to correctly determine the coordinates of the Earth's points.
A man landed in Cape Town (coast of South Africa) on March 14, 1841. Having decided to thoroughly prepare for the work of his whole life, David Livingston settled among the natives and began to study their language and customs. Six months later, he freely spoke to the savages that in the future he was very useful for establishing contacts with different tribes while moving deeper into the continent.
David did not sit still. He slowly but persistently moved forward, settling for a while in the next tribe, getting acquainted with new customs, making notes in his diaries. By the summer of 1842, Livingston overcame a significant part of the Kalahari desert. Not a single European has ever gone so far before him.
The foundation of its own mission. Lion Scramble
In 1843, Livingston established his mission in Mobots, preaching the gospel to locals and gradually moving north. The natives treated the missionary with respect, seeing from him only kindness and participation. He zealously defended them from the attacks of the Portuguese and other colonialists who led the blacks into slavery, patiently endured all the hardships of a difficult life in the African savannah.
In 1844, David Livingstone, for whom Africa became a real home, survived a terrible adventure. Hunting with members of the tribe, he was attacked by a huge lion and miraculously survived. The beast broke his left hand in several places, as a result of which the missionary remained crippled for life. He had to learn to hold a 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 transfer
In 1845, David Livingston married Mary, the daughter of the inspiration for his journey, Robert Moffet. The wife accompanied her husband on campaigns, meekly shared all the hardships of the expeditions, in which she gave birth to 4 sons.
By the time of marriage, the young man spoke freely with the natives, enjoyed their confidence, so he decided to move his mission to the bank 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 doctrine to heart. He agreed to be baptized, refused pagan rites and returned to the fathers all his wives, leaving with him only one. This was an achievement, and at the same time a big problem for the European traveler. The tribe was dissatisfied 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 into the Kalahari desert, which the natives called the Earth a great thirst.
Discovery of Ngami Lake
In addition to missionary activity, despite all the difficulties, David Livingstone did not forget about the research work. He made his discoveries during long expeditions, moving gradually from south to north through the mainland.
On June 1, 1849, a brave traveler with his wife, children and several companions set off through the Kalahari River to the Zambezi River, whose approximate location was noted on maps of South Africa as far back as the Middle Ages. Livingston was determined to indicate the exact coordinates of the river, explore its channel, find the mouth and source.
The long journey took as long as 30 days, was exhausting and very difficult, especially for Mary with her children. When the travelers went to the river, their joy knew no bounds. Here they met the bachelor and Bushman tribes, who welcomed the strangers warmly, replenished their supplies and gave the escort. Travelers continued on their way up the river and on August 1, 1949 they went out to Lake Ngami, hitherto unknown to any European.
For this discovery, David Livingston was awarded the Gold Medal from the Royal Geographical Society and received a large cash prize.
After all the adventures, the expedition members safely returned 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 travel of 1853-1854 The Zambezi River Valley 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 fall 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 the travelers: a magnificent waterfall 120 meters high and 1800 meters wide. The natives called it "Mosi wa tunya," which means "rumbling water." This grandiose natural phenomenon, David named Victoria in honor of the Queen of England. Today, a monument to the brave Scottish explorer of Africa is installed at the waterfall .
Exit to the Indian Ocean. Homecoming
Continuing the exploration of the Zambezi, the missionary drew attention to her northern arm and along it went 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 Ocean was completed.
Already on December 9, 1856, the loyal subject of Queen David Livingston returned to Great Britain. What did this tireless traveler and missionary discover in Africa? In 1857, he wrote a book about all his adventures and geographical discoveries . The fee from the publisher made it possible to provide well for his wife and children. David received awards and titles, he was awarded an audience with Queen Victoria, lectured in Cambridge, addressed local youth with an appeal 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, on which his wife, brother and middle son went with him.
During the expedition, Livingston continued to explore the Zambezi and its tributaries. September 16, 1859 he discovered Lake Nyasa, clarified the coordinates of the rivers Shire and Ruvuma. During the trip, a huge baggage of scientific observations was collected in areas such as botany, zoology, ecology, geology, ethnography.
The expedition, in addition to the joyful impressions of the new discoveries, brought Livingston 2 misfortunes: on April 27, 1862, his wife died of malaria, and David received news of the death of his eldest son a little later.
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 researcher made his third and last trip to the continent. Deepening in the steppes of Central Africa, he reached the Great African Lakes region, explored Tanganyika, the Lualaba River, and searched for the source of the Nile. Along the way, he immediately made 2 high-profile discoveries: November 8, 1867 - Lake Mveru, and July 18, 1868 - Lake Bangweulu.
Travel difficulties drained David Livingstone's health, and suddenly he contracted a tropical fever. This forced him to return to the camp in the village of Ujiji. An exhausted and exhausted researcher, on November 10, 1871, unexpectedly came help in the person of Henry Stan, who was equipped with the New York Harold newspaper to find a Christian missionary. Stan brought medicine and food, so David Livingston, whose brief biography is described in the article, was on the mend. Soon he 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 sites, David Livingston, died. The natives buried his heart in a tin box made from flour in Chitambo under a large mvula tree. The canned body was sent home and April 18, 1874 buried in Westminster Abbey.