1903-1972

British Kenyan Archaeologist and Anthropologist

Whenever a scientist makes a discovery that challenges the established information of his or her time, the result is predictable—controversy. This was certainly the case during the illustrious career of anthropologist Louis Leakey.

Born on August 7, 1903, to British missionaries stationed in Kabete, just outside Nairobi in Kenya, Leakey grew up with the Kikuyu people of that area. He played with their children, learned their customs and culture, and received his early schooling from his parents.

He later returned to England, where he attended Cambridge University and majored in anthropology. When his initial schooling there was completed in 1926, he applied for and received a position to join an archaeological mission in Tanzania, where he put his childhood experiences to good use. When the assignment was completed, he returned to Cambridge for additional studies and in 1930 received...