August 30: On This Day in World History … briefly
He is most associated with the search for the source of the Nile and was the first European to reach Lake Victoria.
1858: Speke names Lake Victoria
British explorer John Hanning Speke (31) names the great lake he found in the heart of Africa after Queen Victoria. He was exploring the region with already-famous explorer Richard Burton, but after their joint discovery of Lake Tanganyika, the younger man decided to make the homeward journey by striking out northwards.
Speke’s claim that in Lake Victoria he had found the source of the Nile was not accepted by Burton and many others in the scientific community initially. Speke developed an interest in exploration while serving the British Army in India. His chance to join a pukka expedition came three years earlier when he became a member of Burton’s abortive attempt to explore Somaliland. He was badly wounded in an attack by Somali natives – which put paid to the expedition.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
To receive our FREE email newsletter, click HERE
