It seems that 2016 is a big year for 90th birthdays! Not only are Londolozi and Queen Elizabeth only a decade short of 100 years, but one of Nature’s greatest advocates, Sir David Attenborough, celebrates 90 years on this planet today.
And what a remarkable 90 years they have been!
David Attenborough meets Queen Elizabeth II. Both of these British icons turn 90 this year!
Although David Attenborough is almost synonymous with the BBC, his first application to the company, for the post of radio talk producer, was rejected! Fortunately for him (and indeed the rest of us!) his CV was spotted by the head of the factual broadcasting department of what was then the BBC’s very fledgling TV service, and he was hired in 1952.
Mary Adams, the lady who had taken him on in the first place, initially discouraged the idea of him appearing on television, stating that his teeth were too big!
Thankfully Attenborough got his first break in 1954 when called on at short notice to present the series Zoo Quest, when the original presenter fell ill.
David Attenborough with mountain gorillas, on location for ‘Life on Earth’ in Rwanda, 1979
To find out more about David Attenborough’s remarkable life and his journey to become the face of Natural History, you can read up on his Wikipedia page, or numerous other websites about him. I’ll let you do that in your own time.
The BBC have put together their own little montages to honour his 90 years:
We at Londolozi will consign ourselves merely to saying Happy Birthday Sir David! You are an inspiration not only to all of us here but to the millions of people worldwide who have enjoyed the work you have done over the years. You, more than any other man or woman that we can think of, have done an enormous amount to bring the natural world into our daily lives, spreading the conservation message to the four corners of the globe. Only with the knowledge of what an incredible planet we live on will we really begin to feel the urge to protect it, and you have done your part many, many times over!
Happy Birthday from all of us at Londolozi!
![Hamerkop Diving For Plattana [rcb] (26)](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10105855/Hamerkop-Diving-for-Plattana-RCB-26-280x178.jpg)
A 90th birthday and a £200 million ship named after him. A great honour especially as most times a ship gets named after a person they have long departed this life
What a beautiful tribute to a really great man. Thank you James Tyrrel and, happy birthday to Londolozi.
Happy birthday Sir David Attenborough, and to the Queen Elizabeth II.