Great Explorers Codexery

David Livingstone

Scottish doctor, missionary, and explorer whose search for the Nile sources aimed to gain influence to end the slave trade.

Last updated

David Livingstone

via Wikipedia: David Livingstone · see source

His fame as an explorer was founded on the belief that solving the Nile source mystery would give him influence to end the East African slave trade.[1]

Life and work

Livingstone was born on 19 March 1813 in Blantyre, Scotland, the second of seven children.[2] Livingstone arrived in South Africa in 1841, where he spent eleven years at various inland stations.[3] He was elected to the Royal Society and gained public backing for his plans.[4] In 1836, Livingstone commenced his medical studies at Anderson's University Glasgow, also referred to as Andersonian University Glasgow.[5]

On 16 November 1840, he obtained the qualification of licentiate from the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.[6] Setting out from Zanzibar in January 1866, Livingstone went back to Africa with the goal of finding the Nile's source.[7]

What the cited sources add

The essay by Wisnicki notes that Livingstone was impressed as a youth by Thomas Dick, whose works helped him conclude that religion and science are friendly.[3] The same source notes that Livingstone retook the anatomy course in 1838-1839, not because he failed but because there were no examinations.[5] Volz's biography records that Mebalwe was baptized in 1838 and given the baptismal name "David".[8] Volz also states that Mebalwe accompanied Livingstone on one trip to Lake Ngami in 1850.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "David Livingstone" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jeal 2013, p. 289 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "David Livingstone" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "David Livingstone Centre: Birthplace Of Famous Scot"; "David Livingston Centre", Cultural Consulting (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wisnicki, "Livingstone's Life & Expeditions", Livingstone Online, 2015. facts only, no text reused. livingstoneonline.org
  4. Wikipedia, "David Livingstone" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wisnicki, "Livingstone's Life & Expeditions", Livingstone Online, 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Lawrence, "Livingstone's Medical Education", Livingstone Online, 2015. facts only, no text reused. livingstoneonline.org
  6. Wikipedia, "David Livingstone" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ross 2002, p. 6; Duncan, "Memorials of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, 1599–1850", MacLehose, 1896, p. 100, 293 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "David Livingstone" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Volz, "Molehabangwe, Mebalwe", Dictionary of African Christian Biography, 21 September 2021. facts only, no text reused. dacb.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article David Livingstone (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Named in this entry

CongregationalismProtestantismMartyrEuropean exploration of AfricaScramble for AfricaSpinning muleFirst Opium WarCape of Good Hope

More in Great Explorers

Christopher ColumbusFerdinand MagellanMarco PoloVasco da GamaJames CookErnest ShackletonRoald AmundsenRobert Falcon ScottThe Lewis and Clark ExpeditionZheng HeIbn BattutaLeif Erikson

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In which place was David Livingstone born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

2. In what year was David Livingstone born?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1813.

From the source: “Livingstone was born on 19 March 1813 in the mill town of Blantyre, Scotland, in a tenement building for the workers of a cotton factory on the banks of the River Clyde under the bridge crossing into Bothwell.”

3. In what year did David Livingstone die?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1873.

From the source: “David Livingstone (; 19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish doctor, Congregationalist, pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, and an explorer in Africa. Livingstone was married to Mary Moffat Livingstone, from ”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →