Born February 14, 1858,
Penpont, Scotland
Died August 2, 1895,
London, England

Joseph Thomson grew up reading about the exploits of David Livingstone (see entry) and other heroes of African exploration. His work in his father’s stone quarry would eventually lead to his own brief but important career as an explorer and adventurer. Thomson became the first European to visit many of the most beautiful and dangerous parts of Africa. The books he wrote as a result of his journeys are valuable for their geographical accuracy and careful detail; his respect for Africans, particularly the Masai, was unusual for that time.

Thomson was born in the small village of Penpont in Scotland on February 14, 1858, in the stone house his father had built. Later his father moved the family to a nearby farm and bought a stone quarry. As a young man, Thomson spent much of his time working...