1813-1873

Scottish Missionary and Explorer

Born into a devoutly religious and hard-working family in Blantyre, Scotland, David Livingstone's faith and work habits would become the map and vessel for a lifetime of exploration. His parents impressed upon him the importance of spreading the Christian gospel. At age 10, he was put to work at a cotton mill, where he labored from six in the morning until eight at night. Afterwards, he went on to study, sometimes late into the night.

In 1836 he began medical school at Anderson's College in Glasgow, intending to become a medical missionary. It was there that he heard fellow Scotsman, Dr. Robert Moffat (1795-1883), speak of having seen, "The smoke of a thousand villages, where no missionary has ever been." In 1840 Livingstone set sail for Africa and arrived at Capetown on March 14, 1841.

David Livingstone. (The Library of Congress. Reproduced by permission.)

He spent...