URPoint Details
John Hanning Speke born 4 May 1827 in Bideford
In 1856, Speke and Burton went to East Africa to find the great lakes. They discovered Lakes Tanganyika and named another Lake Victoria in 1858. He discovered source of the Nile, 1862 after starting out from Zanzibar in 1860. He commanded a ship in the Spanish Armada in 1588. His ship was surprised near the Azores. He stayed to fight and was killed.
He died 15 September 1864 (aged 37).
- Type:
- Famous Locals
Map Location
Bideford