Born May 4, 1827,
Ilminster, Somerset, England
Died September 16, 1864,
Bath, England

John Hanning Speke was at the center of one of the biggest geographical controversies of the nineteenth century—the search for the source of the Nile River in East Africa. The controversy would pit Speke against fellow explorer Richard Burton (see entry), and each man would pay a heavy price for his involvement. The two men were opposites in temperament and interests, and their differences added to the dislike each held for the other.

Speke was born in the town of Ilminster in Somerset County, England, on May 4, 1827. His father, an army officer, prepared his son for a life in the military. At age 17 Speke entered the British army in India and fought in several campaigns there. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1850, when he was 23, and then to captain two years later. During...