John Davidson (traveller) facts for kids

John Davidson (born 1797, died 1836) was a brave English explorer. He was known for his many travels, especially across the continent of Africa. He carefully wrote down his adventures and discoveries.

John Davidson's Early Life

John Davidson was born on December 23, 1797. His family was from Kelso, Scotland. He grew up in London.

When he was 16, John started working for a company called Savory & Moore. They were chemists and druggists. He even became a partner in the business later on.

He also studied to become a doctor. He attended St George's Hospital and the University of Edinburgh.

However, John's health wasn't good. So, in 1827, he traveled to Naples, Italy. From there, he explored many parts of Europe. He visited places like Vienna, Poland, and Russia.

Adventures as a Traveller

John Davidson loved to explore. In late 1829, he traveled to Egypt. He saw the famous Egyptian Pyramids. He then journeyed across land to Cosseir. From there, he planned to sail to India, then to China and Persia.

But he became very sick with cholera. This forced him to return to Cosseir. After recovering, he explored Arabia. He also visited Palestine, Syria, the Greek Islands, Athens, and Constantinople. He gathered a lot of information about geography. He shared his findings with important groups like the Royal Society in London.

Travels to America

In 1831, John Davidson traveled to America. He visited amazing places like Niagara Falls and parts of Canada. He also explored New York, New Orleans, and Mexico. In Mexico, he measured the ancient Pyramids of Choluteca.

In 1832, he became a member of the Royal Society. This is a famous group for scientists. For a while, he studied Egyptology. This is the study of ancient Egypt. In 1833, he gave a talk about embalming. This is the process of preserving a body. During his talk, he even unrolled an ancient mummy for the audience!

Final African Expedition

John Davidson decided to lead another big trip to Africa. He paid for this trip himself. He planned to travel from Fez to Tâfilêlt. Then he wanted to cross the southern part of Mount Atlas and go into Nigritia. His goal was to cross the huge Sahara Desert.

He left England in August 1835. He was heading towards Timbuctoo. He first went to Gibraltar and then crossed into Morocco. Local officials liked his medical knowledge. This made it hard for him to get permission to leave.

He finally started his journey into the desert in late November 1836. Sadly, while resting at a watering hole called Swekeza, he was attacked. He was robbed and murdered on December 18, 1836. This happened at the hands of a tribe called El Harib.

After John Davidson's Death

After John Davidson passed away, his brother published a book. It was called "Notes taken during Travels in Africa." This book shared many of John's travel experiences. The story of him unrolling the mummy was also published as a small booklet. Many of his letters from Africa were sent to the Duke of Sussex.