John Hanning Speke

About

The first European to reach Lake Victoria in East Africa, discovering the source of the Nile river.

Before Fame

An attack by the natives that left him seriously wounded failed to dampen his desire to explore Africa.

Trivia

He was also a subscriber to the Hamitic hypothesis that white races were superior to African ones.

Family Life

He was born into an aristocratic family, and buried at the Speke ancestral home in Dowlish Wake, Somerset.

Associated With

Hugh Clapperton was another noted explorer of Africa.