Dr. Livingstone, I presume?

“Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” This famous question was asked by Henry Morton Stanley on October 27, 1871 near Lake Tanganyika in present-day Tanzania. Even though, there were no other white men around, the two had not been formally introduced, so it was a proper way to address Dr. David Livingstone without committing a breach of etiquette.

Dr. David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish missionary and explorer. Unlike many of the people at the time, Livingstone was strongly anti-slavery.

Livingstone made many journeys in Africa and drew many detailed maps used by later explorers.One one of his journeys Livingstone caught pneumonia and had no contact with the outside world for almost ten years.

Henry Morton Stanley (28 January 1841-10 May 1904) was sent by the New York Herald to find Livingstone. When he located Livingstone, the famous question was asked. Stanley was a Welsh journalist and explorer.

Stanley wrote about his travels and adventures in the book, In Darkest Africa, one of his many books.