1-632-948 - Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images

Portrait of John Hanning Speke, British explorer, 19th century. In 1858, Speke (1827-1864) and Richard Burton became the first Europeans to discover Lake Tanganyika. Speke then set out alone and arrived at an even larger lake, that he called Lake Victoria. He believed that the lake represented the source of the Nile, a claim that was disputed by Burton amongst others. Speke died from a gunshot wound from his own gun while hunting on the day he was due to debate the Nile claim with Burton in front of members of the Royal Geographical Society.