John Hanning Speke: Searching for the Source of the Nile River

John Hanning Speke was a British explorer and officer in the Indian Army who is best known for his discovery of the source of the Nile. In 1856, Speke joined an expedition led by Richard Burton to explore the interior of Africa. After Burton fell ill, Speke continued on alone and in 1858, he discovered the source of the Nile, which he identified as Lake Victoria. This discovery was a major achievement in the exploration of Africa and helped to fill in many of the blank spaces on maps of the continent. However, Speke's claim was later disputed by Burton and other explorers, and the true source of the Nile remains a topic of ongoing debate among historians and geographers.