Born December 14, 1730, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Died April 27, 1794, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Africa’s Nile River was the site of numerous expeditions during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many European travelers to the little-known continent were determined to find the source of the river, which had remained a mystery for centuries. It was believed that the Nile was fed by two great southern rivers, one that coursed across east central Africa (the White Nile) and the other running through northern Ethiopia (the Blue Nile). But early attempts at river travel up these branches were not successful, and European adventurers intent on finding the Nile’s source or sources planned overland expeditions to locate them. One such traveler was Scotsman James Bruce, who did find and map the springs that feed the Blue Nile in the highlands of Ethiopia. While he felt certain that he had discovered the great...