Religious Figure, Explorer. He was a 19th century Scottish missionary, belonging to the Congregational Church. Livingstone was a great explorer and missionary, with expeditions of the Zambezi, the discovery of the Victoria Falls and the first European to cross the African continent from coast to coast to his credit. His search for the sources of the Nile and Congo Rivers occupied him to the point of obsession for several years. In the autumn of 1871 and not hearing from Livingstone for four years, Henry Morton Stanley, a English-born reporter from the "New York Herald" came to Africa to find him, greeting him with the famous quote, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Although he was thankful that Stanley had brought him much-needed supplies, he refused to take the opportunity to leave Africa with Stanley on March 14, 1872. Born the second of ten children, he was working in a mill for twelve hours a day by age ten until he was 26. His family lived in a one-room apartment on the top floor of a building provided by the mill. With a father, who was a devout Christian and zealous reader, he followed in his father's footsteps. After studying in local schools, he entered Anderson's University at Glasgow in 1836, studying medicine, but being transferred to London before graduating. After many applications to the London Missionary Society, he became an ordained minister on November 20, 1840. At first he wanted to do missionary work in China but the First Opium War cancelled that thought. It was suggested that he go to the West Indies or South America but after much consideration, he went to Africa arriving by ship to Cape Town, South Africa on March 14, 1841. He opposed the slave trade by the countries of the East and the West. He married Mary Moffat on January 2, 1845, but with her decline in health and needs for education of their family, she returned to Britain in 1852, but returned to Africa, dying on April 27, 1862. His oldest son immigrated to the United States and died fighting in the American Civil War on December 5, 1864. After discovering Lake Ngami, he was awarded a gold medal and monetary prize by the British Royal Geographical Society. In 1863 he left Africa for India before returning to Britain in 1864. Even though his health was declining from poor nutrition and chronic gastrointestinal problems, he returned to Africa on January 28, 1866 to continue his exploration. After being the first European to explore and bring Christianity to the deepest corners of Africa, he died May 1873. His heart was buried under a tree in Zambia, and after nine months and 1,000 miles, his mummified body reached the coast of Africa for a return trip to Britain. Selling thousands of copies, he authored several books including "Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa" in 1857, "Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi and Its Tributaries" in 1866, "The Last Journals of David Livingstone" was published posthumously in two volumes in 1873.