Mary Leakey

Louis Leakey is one of the most influential men in the world. He is a well-known white archeologist from Africa. Louis Leakey did a lot of things for Africa historically. Also Leakey won an award from a museum and organized an important event. He is an interesting person to talk about from his accomplishments to his personal life. Without Louis Leakey’s impact how would have our history turned out? Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey was born on August 7th, 1903. He was raised in Kabete—small tribe in Kenya—nine miles from the city of Nairobi. His parents Harry and Mary Leakey were white missionaries, giving birth to the first white baby in Kebete. Harry, Mary, and Louis belonged to a tribe called Kikuyu. “He played with Africans, learned to hunt, spoke Kikuyu as frequently as English and was initiated as a member of the Kikuyu tribe”2. He learned the Kikuyu language before he learned to speak English. At first he interested in ornithology—the study of birds. As a 13-year-old teenager, had already had a passion for prehistory. While growing up in a place like Africa—Louis had grown a fascination for prehistory. Dr. Leakey…

Paranthropus boisei was an early hominin and lived in East Africa. The dates range from 2.3 to 1.2 million years ago. Paleoanthropologists actually found the first fossils of Paranthropus boisei in 1955. (what does it mean to be human) However, not until anthropologist Mary Leakey discovered the well-preserved cranium OH5 at Olduvas Gorge, Tanzania in 1959. It was dated to 1.75 millions of year. Mary Leakey and her husband Louis Leakey classed the specimen as Zinjanthropus. Later on, Louis…

“[Louis Leakey] packed more into his sixty-nine years than ten ordinary men would in their combined lifetimes” (Cole 1975). Louis Leakey was an archaeologist, anthropologist, anatomist, paleontologist, and zoologist. He endured many expeditions involving these careers which had him living an exciting life – especially with his famous discoveries. Leakey was an important figure in anthropology, and even just to history, because his discoveries literally changed how the scientific world went about…

you learn about the dignity of the gorilla, the more you want to avoid people.” ("Women Who Changed") Dian Fossey found out more than the gorillas' habits. In the 1980's Dian Fossey went to Rwanda to study gorillas with the help of Dr. Louis Leakey. When she was studying them she found that the gorillas were being decimated by poachers. Born on January 16, 1932 in San Francisco, California, Dian Fossey loved animals from the beginning. (“Dian Fossey”) When she was in high school she was on a…

There are many definitions of the word story, but one definition in particular fits the topic of human origins perfectly; a narration of the events in the life of a person or the existence of a thing, or such events as a subject for narration. The story of human origin and the creation of human nature is a difficult story to tell, created by miniscule pieces of evidence and guesswork through paleoanthropology, and advances in the ability to look at and study DNA. Exactly where we came from and…

Dian Fossey was a zoologist known for researching endangered gorillas. She researched the gorillas in the Rwandan Mountain Forest. She was murdered and nobody knew it was going to happen. Dian Fossey was only 53 years old when she was killed. She did not go to College to be a zoologist, she went to school to become a occupational therapist. Occupational Therapy is to help with mental, physical, and cognitive disorder. She had a great and unique talent. Though she was never assaulted, the…

Mary Anning was considered to be the first female paleontologist and the greatest fossil finder. She overcame a lack of formal education to emerge as one of the foremost authorities on fossils. When she was twelve year old, she found the skeleton of one of the first Ichthyosaurus, a giant marine reptile that lived in the early time of Jurassic period in Asia and Europe. She discovered more Ichthyosaurus fossils and also many other important discoveries as an amateur fossil collector in the…

started horseback riding lessons and fell in love with the horses. She attended the University of California, until the challenge of physics and chemistry made her want to try something else. That’s when she attended San Jose State College and graduate in 1954 with a degree in occupational therapy. After graduation, Dian moved to Louisville, Kentucky where she was given the job as Director of the Therapy department at Kosair Crippled Children Hospital. She loved her job and working with children…

Jane Goodall is often known as “the woman who redefined man.” She was born in 1934, on the third of April, in London, England, under the name Valarie Jane Morris-Goodall. At an early age, Jane expressed an interest in animals. Now, Goodall is a famous ethologist, primarily known for her extensive research of chimpanzees. However, throughout her life, Jane Goodall has been extremely ambitious and has accomplished many deeds. Figure 1. Jane in Action. Photo by unknown. Date unknown. Goodall…

She is known for her studies, and conservation of the mountain gorillas of Rwanda. For a true friendship between human kind and ape, and for what one individual can do to make a difference in the world. Today, receiving Disney’s Conservation Heroes Award, it is my pleasure to honor posthumously, the one and only, Dian Fossey. This award is given every year, to many conservationists around the world, even gorilla trackers and anti-poachers, nominated from Dian’s very own gorilla fund…