Sir David Attenborough is a highly influential British broadcaster, biologist, and natural historian renowned for his extensive work in nature documentaries. Beginning with Zoo Quest in 1954, he has written, presented, and narrated numerous acclaimed series, including The Life Collection and the Planet Earth franchise. A pioneer in wildlife filmmaking, Attenborough has won BAFTA Awards across various formats and received numerous honorary degrees and Emmy Awards. He is also an environmental advocate, raising awareness about conservation and the impact of climate change.
In May 1926, David Frederick Attenborough was born. He is a British broadcaster, biologist, natural historian, and writer, and would become known as the host of Zoo Quest in 1954.
In 1936, David Attenborough and his brother Richard attended a lecture by Grey Owl (Archibald Belaney) at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, and were influenced by his advocacy of conservation.
In 1945, Attenborough won a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge, to study geology and zoology.
In 1947, Attenborough was called up for national service in the Royal Navy.
In 1950, Attenborough applied for a job as a radio talk producer with the BBC but was rejected. However, his CV later attracted the interest of Mary Adams, head of the Talks (factual broadcasting) department of the BBC's television service.
In 1950, Attenborough married Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel.
In 1952, David Attenborough joined the BBC full-time as a producer for the Talks department, which handled all non-fiction broadcasts. His early projects included the quiz show Animal, Vegetable, Mineral? and Song Hunter.
In 1954, David Attenborough first became prominent as the host of Zoo Quest.
In 1954, Zoo Quest was first broadcasted. David Attenborough became the presenter at short notice due to Jack Lester being taken ill.
In 1957, David Attenborough first filmed at the Great Barrier Reef location, which he returned to in 2015 for the "Great Barrier Reef" series.
In 1957, the BBC Natural History Unit was formally established in Bristol. Attenborough was asked to join it, but declined, not wishing to move from London where he and his young family were settled. Instead, he formed his own department, the Travel and Exploration Unit.
In 1964, BBC Two was launched. When Attenborough arrived as controller, he quickly abolished the channel's quirky kangaroo mascot and shook up the schedule.
In March 1965, Attenborough became Controller of BBC Two, succeeding Michael Peacock.
In 1969 David Attenborough made a three-part series on the cultural history of the Indonesian island of Bali.
In 1969, Attenborough was promoted to director of programmes, making him responsible for the output of both BBC channels.
In 1969, Civilisation, presented by Sir Kenneth Clark, was broadcast to universal acclaim. The show became the blueprint for landmark authored documentaries.
In 1969, David Attenborough created "The World About Us" as a vehicle for colour television.
In 1970, David Attenborough was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Leicester.
In 1971, David Attenborough filmed A Blank on the Map, where he joined the first Western expedition to a remote highland valley in New Guinea to seek out a lost tribe.
In 1972, David Attenborough confessed to his brother Richard that he had no appetite for the position of Director-General of the BBC.
In 1975, Attenborough presented a series on tribal art (The Tribal Eye), another on voyages of discovery (The Explorers), and a BBC children's series about cryptozoology entitled Fabulous Animals.
In 1977, David Attenborough began narrating every episode of "Wildlife on One", a BBC One wildlife series.
Beginning with Life on Earth in 1979, Attenborough set about creating a body of work which became a benchmark of quality in wildlife film-making and influenced a generation of documentary film-makers.
In 1979, Attenborough visited the People's Republic of China and reported to the West for the first time about the Chinese one-child policy.
In 1980, Attenborough received the title Honorary Fellow from Clare College, Cambridge.
In 1980, Attenborough was honoured by the Open University, with which he has had a close association throughout his career.
In 1982, Attenborough received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Durham University.
In 1984, Attenborough received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Cambridge.
In 1987, David Attenborough wrote and presented "The First Eden", a series about man's influence on the natural history of the Mediterranean Basin.
In 1987, the "Meerkats United" episode of "Wildlife on One" was voted the best wildlife documentary of all time by BBC viewers.
In 1988, Attenborough received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Oxford.
In 1990, David Attenborough was made an honorary Freeman of the City of Leicester.
In 1990, David Attenborough worked on the BBC's "Prisoners of Conscience" series, highlighting the case of Sudanese poet Mahjoub Sharif.
In 1990, The Trials of Life completed the original Life trilogy, looking at animal behaviour through the different stages of life.
In 1993, David Attenborough presented Life in the Freezer, the first television series to survey the natural history of Antarctica.
In 1993, the palaeontologist Robert Bakker renamed the Mesozoic reptile Plesiosaurus conybeari as Attenborosaurus conybeari.
In 1995, David Attenborough released The Private Life of Plants, which used time-lapse photography to show plants as dynamic organisms. The show went on to earn a Peabody Award.
In 1997, Attenborough received an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from Ghent University.
In 1997, Attenborough's wife, Jane Elizabeth Ebsworth Oriel, passed away.
In 1997, David Attenborough narrated the "BBC Wildlife Specials", focusing on charismatic species to mark the Natural History Unit's 40th anniversary.
In 1998, Attenborough described himself as "a standard, boring left-wing liberal" and expressed the view that the market economy was "misery".
In 1998, Attenborough received the title Honorary Fellow from the Zoological Society of London.
In 1998, David Attenborough released The Life of Birds, on the theme of behaviour. The documentary series won a second Peabody Award the following year.
In 1999, Attenborough received the title Honorary Fellow from the Linnean Society.
In 1999, Richard directed a biographical film of Belaney entitled Grey Owl.
In 2000, Attenborough received the title Honorary Fellow from the Institute of Biology (now the Royal Society of Biology).
In 2000, David Attenborough released "State of the Planet", a documentary assessing human activities' impact on the natural world.
In 2001, David Attenborough narrated "The Blue Planet", BBC's first comprehensive series on marine life.
In 2002, Attenborough joined clerics and scientists in opposing the inclusion of creationism in the curriculum of UK state-funded independent schools.
In 2002, Attenborough was named among the 100 Greatest Britons in a BBC poll.
In 2002, David Attenborough released The Life of Mammals, which used low-light and infrared cameras were deployed to reveal the behaviour of nocturnal mammals.
In 2002, David Attenborough's autobiography, Life on Air, was published.
In 2002, Life on Air examined the legacy of Attenborough's work, and Attenborough the Controller focused on his time in charge of BBC Two.
In 2003, David Attenborough launched an appeal for the World Land Trust to create a rainforest reserve in memory of Christopher Parsons and helped launch ARKive, a global digital library of natural history media.
After a 2004 lecture, David Attenborough was convinced that humans were responsible for climate change.
In 2004, Attenborough was featured prominently in The Way We Went Wild, a series about natural history television presenters.
In 2005, David Attenborough backed a BirdLife International project to stop the killing of albatross by longline fishing boats.
In 2005, David Attenborough finished narrating "Wildlife on One", a BBC One wildlife series that ran for 253 episodes.
In 2005, David Attenborough released Life in the Undergrowth, which introduced audiences to the world of invertebrates.
In 2006 David Attenborough spoke out about climate change for the first time after being silent on the issue.
In 2006, Attenborough was named the most trusted celebrity in the UK in a Reader's Digest poll.
In 2006, British television viewers voted for their Favourite Attenborough Moments for a UKTV poll to coincide with the broadcaster's 80th birthday. The winning clip showed Attenborough observing the mimicry skills of the superb lyrebird.
In 2006, David Attenborough released "The Truth about Climate Change", addressing issues of global warming.
In 2006, David Attenborough supported WWF's campaign to have 220,000 square kilometres of Borneo's rainforest designated a protected area.
In 2006, the two eldest Attenborough brothers returned to their home city to receive the title of Distinguished Honorary Fellows of the University of Leicester, "in recognition of a record of continuing distinguished service to the University."
In 2007, Attenborough received the title Honorary Fellow from the Society of Antiquaries.
In 2007, Attenborough was featured in 100 Years of Wildlife Films, a programme marking the centenary of the nature documentary.
In 2007, Attenborough won The Culture Show's Living Icon Award.
In 2008, Attenborough criticised the BBC's television schedules, stating that BBC One and BBC Two were scheduling similar programmes simultaneously.
In 2008, David Attenborough completed his collection of programs on major groups of terrestrial animals and plants with "Life in Cold Blood", compiled in a DVD encyclopaedia called "Life on Land".
In January 2009, the BBC commissioned David Attenborough to provide a series of 20 ten-minute monologues about the history of nature, entitled "David Attenborough's Life Stories", broadcast on Radio 4.
In March 2009, Attenborough appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross and stated that he felt evolution did not rule out the existence of a God and accepted the title of agnostic.
In September 2009, the Natural History Museum, London, opened the Attenborough Studio, part of its Darwin Centre development.
In 2009, Attenborough stated that the Book of Genesis taught generations to "dominate" the environment, leading to devastation. He emphasized the importance of Darwinism and evolution in understanding our current environmental situation.
In 2009, David Attenborough released "How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth?", focusing on human population growth.
In 2009, David Attenborough's autobiography, Life on Air, was revised.
In 2009, the BBC broadcast Attenborough's one-hour special, Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life. In reference to the program, Attenborough affirmed that evolution is a solid historical fact and criticized the belief that creationism should be taught alongside evolution in science lessons.
In 2010, Attenborough became a pioneer in the 3D documentary format with Flying Monsters.
In 2010, Attenborough was awarded Honorary Doctorates from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Nottingham Trent University.
In 2010, David Attenborough stated that his documentary, "First Life", should be included within the "Life" series as it completed the set.
In 2010, David Attenborough's collaboration with Sky resulted in "Flying Monsters 3D", a film about pterosaurs, which debuted on Christmas Day.
In 2011, David Attenborough appeared on screen in "Frozen Planet", authoring the final episode and providing voiceover duties.
In 2012, Attenborough featured in the BBC Radio 4 series The New Elizabethans to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, recognized for his significant impact on lives in the UK.
In 2012, Attenborough was among the British cultural icons selected by artist Sir Peter Blake to appear in a new version of his most famous artwork – the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover.
By January 2013, Attenborough had collected 32 honorary degrees from British universities, more than any other person.
In June 2013, Attenborough had a pacemaker fitted.
In September 2013, Attenborough commented on his fortunate position of "swanning round the world looking at the most fabulously interesting things."
In 2013, Attenborough described humans as a "plague on the Earth" in an interview with the Radio Times, criticizing the act of sending food to famine-stricken countries as "barmy" due to population concerns. He also called for more debate about human population growth, noting its tripling since he began making programs 60 years prior.
In 2013, Attenborough joined Brian May and Slash in opposing the British government's policy on the cull of badgers in the UK, participating in a song dedicated to badgers.
In 2013, Attenborough was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Bristol.
In September 2014, David Attenborough continued as one of the presenters of BBC Radio 4's "Tweet of the Day", which began its second series.
In October 2014, the BBC announced new one-off David Attenborough documentaries, including "Attenborough's Paradise Birds", "Attenborough's Big Birds", and "Waking Giants".
As of 2014, Attenborough was the only person to have won BAFTA Awards for programmes in black and white, colour, high-definition and 3D.
In 2014, Attenborough was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in the referendum.
In 2015, Atlantic Productions released the three-part series "Great Barrier Reef" fronted by David Attenborough, marking his 10th project with Atlantic and a return to a location first filmed in 1957.
In 2015, Attenborough underwent a double knee replacement.
In 2015, Attenborough was among several celebrities who endorsed the parliamentary candidacy of the Green Party's Caroline Lucas prior to the general election.
In 2015, David Attenborough narrated the third series of "David Attenborough's Natural Curiosities" for the UKTV channel Watch.
In 2015, a species of tree from Gabon (in the Annonaceae family) Sirdavidia Couvreur & Sauquet was named with his title.
In 2016, Attenborough reflected on Terry Wogan's job application to be a presenter on BBC Two. He stated that there were not any suitable vacancies at the time.
In 2016, David Attenborough returned as narrator and presenter for "Planet Earth II", with music by Hans Zimmer.
In 2016, a miniature marsupial lion, Microleo attenboroughi, was named in his honor.
In March 2017, a 430-million-year-old small crustacean was named after Attenborough. Called Cascolus ravitis, the first word is a Latin translation of the root meaning of "Attenborough" and the second is based on a description of him in Latin.
In July 2017, the Caribbean bat Myotis attenboroughi was named after him.
In 2017, "Blue Planet II" was broadcast, with David Attenborough returning as presenter. It gained high UK viewing figures and increased attention to plastic pollution.
In 2018, David Attenborough narrated the five-part series "Dynasties", each episode focused on a particular species.
In 2018, a new species of fan-throated lizard from coastal Kerala in southern India was named Sitana attenboroughii in his honour.
In 2018, a new species of phytoplankton, Syracosphaera azureaplaneta, was named to honour The Blue Planet, and the scarab beetle Sylvicanthon attenboroughi was also named to commemorate Attenborough.
In 2018, while promoting "Dynasties", David Attenborough mentioned that repeated messages on threats to wildlife in programming could deter viewers.
In 2019, David Attenborough narrated "Our Planet" for Netflix, emphasizing the destructive role of human activities, and released "Climate Change – The Facts" for BBC One with a graver tone.
In 2019, David Attenborough released "Extinction: The Facts", depicting the continuing sixth mass extinction.
In October 2020, David Attenborough's film "David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet" was released on Netflix, and he began filming for "The Green Planet" in Cambridge.
In 2020, Attenborough criticised excess capitalism as a driver of ecological imbalance and lamented the lack of international cooperation on climate change.
In 2020, David Attenborough backed a Fauna and Flora International campaign calling for a global moratorium on deep sea mining.
In 2020, David Attenborough released the documentary "A Life on Our Planet" which received praise.
In 2020, Nothobranchius attenboroughi, a brightly coloured seasonal fish species, was described in his honour. It is endemic to Tanzania.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, David Attenborough advocated for the Zoological Society of London and was named a member of the Earthshot Prize Council.
In his 2020 documentary film David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet, David Attenborough advocated for people to adopt a vegetarian diet or to reduce meat consumption to save wildlife.
In June 2021, the documentary titled "Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet" was released on Netflix, with David Attenborough's involvement.
In 2021, Attenborough told the leaders of the 47th G7 summit that tackling climate change was as much a political challenge as a scientific one and urged for more action, stating that we are on the verge of destabilising the entire planet.
In 2021, David Attenborough gave a speech at the opening ceremony of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), emphasizing humans' problem-solving abilities and expressing optimism for environmental recovery.
In 2021, David Attenborough presented the three-part series "Attenborough's Life in Colour" and the five-part series "The Mating Game".
In 2021, an extinct species of horseshoe crab was named Attenborolimulus superspinosus.
In May 2022, David Attenborough's "Prehistoric Planet" aired, focusing on prehistoric life.
In July 2022, a fossil of a 560-million-year-old creature named Auroralumina attenboroughii, which researchers believe to be the first animal predator, was named after Attenborough.
In 2022, David Attenborough was recognized as a Champion of the Earth by the United Nations Environment Programme for his dedication to research, documentation, and advocacy for nature protection and restoration.
In 2023, Attenborough was described by the New Statesman as a figure "invaluable to green diplomacy" in the UK.
In 2025, Attenborough is slated to appear in the cinema release of "Ocean With David Attenborough".
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