Why is Louis Leakey important?
Louis Leakey ‘s work was important in establishing human evolutionary development in Africa, particularly through his discoveries in the Olduvai Gorge. We’ve already had posts about his wife Mary Leakey, as well as two other famous women, whose life is connected with Louis Leakey: Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall.
When was Louis Leakey born?
On August 7, 1903, Kenyan paleoanthropologist and archaeologist Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey was born. Louis Leakey ‘s work was important in establishing human evolutionary development in Africa, particularly through his discoveries in the Olduvai Gorge.
What does Louis leaky stand for?
Louis Leakey. Louis Leakey, in full Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey, also called Louis S.B. Leakey, (born August 7, 1903, Kabete, Kenya—died October 1, 1972, London, England), Kenyan archaeologist and anthropologist whose fossil discoveries in East Africa proved that human being s were far older than had previously been believed and...
What did Louis Leakey discover in Kenya?
Synopsis. Louis Leakey was born on August 7, 1903, in Kenya, and, with wife Mary Leakey, established an excavation site at Olduvai Gorge to search for fossils. The team made unprecedented discoveries of hominids millions of years old linked to human evolution, including H. habilis and H. erectus.
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What was Dr Leakey famous for?
Leakey, (born August 7, 1903, Kabete, Kenya—died October 1, 1972, London, England), Kenyan archaeologist and anthropologist whose fossil discoveries in East Africa proved that human beings were far older than had previously been believed and that human evolution was centred in Africa, rather than in Asia, as earlier ...
How did Louis Leakey change the world?
He and Mary Leakey made many important fossil and stone tool discoveries, and he wrote 20 books and more than 150 scientific articles in his lifetime. He was also a great popularizer of human origins research. His storytelling inspired people around the world.
Who found the Lucy fossil?
paleoanthropologist Donald JohansonThe team that excavated her remains, led by American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson and French geologist Maurice Taieb, nicknamed the skeleton “Lucy” after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” which was played at the celebration the day she was found.
Who discovered the skull of early man?
Louis LeakeyThere is a piece of Africa where mankind first emerged in the world – the Olduvai Gorge known as the 'Cradle of Mankind'. It was in this area that Louis Leakey discovered the skull of theNutcracker Man, which dates back to over 1.7 million years old.
Who discovered the oldest human skull in East Africa?
paleoanthropologist Richard LeakeyFamed paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey and colleagues found Omo I near the southern Ethiopian town of Kibish in 1967. Originally, scientists dated freshwater mollusk shells found with the skull to conclude that that the remains were about 130,000 years old.
Why is Olduvai Gorge important to archaeologists?
Olduvai Gorge is a site in Tanzania that holds the earliest evidence of the existence of human ancestors. Paleoanthropologists have found hundreds of fossilized bones and stone tools in the area dating back millions of years, leading them to conclude that humans evolved in Africa.
What did leakeys discover in Olduvai Gorge?
In 1959 at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, she discovered the skull of an early hominin (member of the human lineage) that her husband named Zinjanthropus, or “eastern man,” though it is now regarded as Paranthropus, a type of australopith, or “southern ape.”
Who Was Louis Leakey?
Paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey, with wife Mary Leakey, established an excavation site at Olduvai Gorge to search for fossils. The team made unprecedented discoveries of hominids millions of years old linked to human evolution, including H. habilis and H. erectus. Leakey, an avid lecturer and author who also worked in primatology, died on October 1, 1972.
Where was Louis Leakey born?
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey was born on August 7, 1903, in Kabete, Kenya, and was raised by English missionary parents among the Kikuyu people. In 1921, he travelled to England to be educated in anthropology and archaeology at St. John's College, Cambridge University, ultimately earning his doctorate in African prehistory.
What was the significance of the Olduvai discoveries?
The Olduvai discoveries were a sensation, greatly illuminating humanity's origins. Leakey turned away from excavations in Africa — with son Richard and Mary continuing his work — and focused on fundraising, lecturing and primatology, mentoring Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey.
Where did Mary Leakey go on his first trip?
Leakey made his first trip to Olduvai Gorge, located in modern day Tanzania, in 1931. The site would eventually become one he was famous for.
Did Leakey have children?
The two had worked together on Leakey's 1934 book Adam's Ancestors, for which Nicol provided archaeological illustration. Leakey again de fied the conventions of his day by divorcing his first wife, with whom he’d had two children. Louis and Mary moved to Kenya and would have three children of their own.
Who is Louis Leakey?
Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey (7 August 1903 – 1 October 1972) was a Kenyan-British paleoanthropologist and archaeologist whose work was important in demonstrating that humans evolved in Africa, particularly through discoveries made at Olduvai Gorge with his wife, fellow paleontologist Mary Leakey.
What did Louis Leakey do in 1928?
Louis had already involved himself in Kikuyu tribal affairs in 1928, taking a stand against female genital cutting. He got into a shouting match in Kikuyu one evening with Jomo Kenyatta, later the president of Kenya, who was lecturing on the topic. R. Copeland at Oxford recommended he apply to the Rhodes Trust for a grant to write a study of the Kikuyu and it was given late in 1936 along with a salary for two years. In January 1937 the Leakeys travelled to Kenya. Colin would not see his father for 20 years.
What did Louis Leakey do to warn Philip Mitchell?
During this period his life was threatened and a reward placed on his head. The Leakeys began to pack pistols, termed "European National Dress." The government placed him under 24-hour guard.
Why did Louis Leakey start the Leakey Foundation?
1968. Louis assisted with the founding of The Leakey Foundation, to ensure the legacy of his life's work in the study of human origins. The Leakey Foundation exists today as the number-one funder of human-origins research in the United States.
Where did Louis Leakey go to school?
The family sat out World War I in Africa. When the sea lanes opened again in 1919, they returned to Boscombe, where Louis was sent to Weymouth College , a private boys' school, when he was 16 years old.
Why did Louis refuse to get a doctorate?
In 1968, Louis refused an honorary doctorate from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, primarily because of apartheid in South Africa. Mary accepted one, and they thereafter led separate professional lives.
Where did Louis return to?
Louis returned to Kiambaa near Nairobi and persuaded Senior Chief Koinange, who designated a committee of chiefs, to help him describe the Kikuyu the way they had been. Mary excavated at Waterfall Cave. She fell ill with double pneumonia and was near death for two weeks in the hospital in Nairobi, during which time her mother was sent for. Contrary to expectation, she recovered and began another excavation at Hyrax Hill and then Njoro River Cave. Louis got an extension of his grant, which he used partially for fossil-hunting. Leakey discoveries began to appear in the newspapers again.
Overview
Work in palaeoanthropology
We know from the study of evolution that, again and again, various branches of animal stock have become over-specialized, and that over-specialization has led to their extinction. Present-day Homo sapiens is in many physical respects still very unspecialized ... But in one thing man, as we know him today, is over-specialized. His brain power is very over-specialized compared to the rest of his physical make-up, and it may well be that this over-specialization will lead, just as surely, t…
Background
When I think back... of the serval cat and a baboon that I had as pets in my childhood days—and that eventually I had to house in large cages—it makes me sad. It makes me sadder still, however, and also very angry, when I think of the innumerable adult animals and birds deliberately caught and locked up for the so-called 'pleasure' and 'education' of thoughtless human beings.— Louis Leakey, By the Evidence, Chapter 4
Formative years
In Britain, the Leakey children attended elementary school; in Africa, they had a tutor. The family sat out World War I in Africa. When the sea lanes opened again in 1919, they returned to Boscombe, where Louis was sent to Weymouth College, a private boys' school, when he was 16 years old. In three years there, he did not do well and complained of hazing and rules that he considered an infringemen…
Reversals of fortune
In November 1931, Louis led an expedition to Olduvai whose members included Reck, whom Louis allowed to enter the gorge first. Leakey had bet Reck that Leakey would find Acheulean tools within the first 24 hours, which he did. These verified the provenance of the 1913 find, now called Olduvai Man. Non-humanoid fossils and tools were extracted from the ground in large numbers. …
In British East Africa
Louis had already involved himself in Kikuyu tribal affairs in 1928, taking a stand against female genital cutting. He got into a shouting match in Kikuyu one evening with Jomo Kenyatta, later the president of Kenya, who was lecturing on the topic. R. Copeland at Oxford recommended he apply to the Rhodes Trust for a grant to write a study of the Kikuyu and it was given late in 1936 along with a salary for two years. In January 1937 the Leakeys travelled to Kenya. Colin would not see …
The Trimates
One of Louis's legacies stems from his role in fostering field research of primates in their natural habitats, which he understood as key to unraveling the mysteries of human evolution. He personally chose three female researchers, Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birutė Galdikas, calling them The Trimates. Each went on to become an important scholar in the field of primatology, immersing themselves in the study of chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, respectively. Leakey …
Last years
During his final years Louis became famous as a lecturer in the United Kingdom and United States. He did not excavate any longer, as he was crippled with arthritis, for which he had a hip replacement in 1968. He raised funds and directed his family and associates. In Kenya he was a facilitator for hundreds of scientists exploring the East African Rift system for fossils.
In 1968, Louis refused an honorary doctorate from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesb…