Timeline Description: Jane Goodall is a British ethologist known for her intense studies of chimpanzees in the wilds of Africa. Through the publication of her books and articles, and the attentions she has received from the scientific community, Jane tells the world how amazing these wild creatures are, and how they need to be preserved for the future.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1934 | Jane is born. Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall, known as Jane Goodall, is born on April 3, 1934 in London, England. When she is about a year old, she receives a stuffed chimpanzee named Jubiliee that she still owns today. |
| 1941 | Jane's dream (About 1941). From an early age, Jane loves animals. She even sits in a very small shed for five hours to watch a hen lay an egg. After reading The Story of Dr. Doolittle, she herself desires to go to Africa to study animals. |
| 1952 | Jane graduates and gets a job. Jane goes to secretarial school after high school since she can't afford college. After graduating, she works for her aunt, then gets a job at Oxford University where she types documents. She later works for a film studio. |
| May 1956 | Jane receives great news. In May of 1956, Jane receives a letter that will change her life forever. A friend invites her to visit their family farm in Kenya, Africa. Excited, Jane quits her job in London. She returns home and gets a job a waitress so she can save money. |
| 1957 | Jane goes to Africa. At age 23 Jane sails to the land of her dreams. While in Kenya she meets famous anthropologist, Dr. Louis Leakey. She tells him about her love for Africa and animals, and he hires her to be his secretary at the Coryndon Museum (now the National Museum of Kenya) in Nairobi. |
| 1957 | Jane gets an amazing offer (1957- 1960). As Dr. Leakey works with Jane, he realizes she is the best person to study chimps in the Gombe Stream Reserve in Tanzania. Jane heads back to England while Dr. Leakey finds funding for the project. |
| June 1960 | Jane returns to Africa (June to July 1960). Jane is not allowed to travel alone, so she takes her mother Vanne with her. After stopping for supplies and finding a cook, Jane and her mother set up camp at the Gombe Stream Reserve in Tanzania. |
| July 1960 | Jane's research begins (July to November 1960). Jane takes her notebook and binoculars and quietly observes the chimpanzees for hours. She takes careful notes, and is amazed that they eat meat, they think out solutions to problems, and they make simple tools when necessary. In November her mother returns to England |
| 1961 | David Greybeard comes to visit. Over time Jane has been accepted by one chimp who she names David Greybeard. One exciting day David Greybeard comes to Jane's camp to look around. His acceptance opens the door for other chimps to accept her presence as well. |
| 1962 | Jane goes back to school. Dr. Leakey realizes how important Jane's research is to other scientists. He convinces Cambridge University to let her go into a special program to receive her college degree, even though she has never gone to college before. She graduates in 1966, becoming Dr. Jane Goodall. |
| 1962 | Jane and National Geographic. After her first term at Cambridge, Jane heads back to Africa. A photographer/filmmaker from the National Geographic magazine comes to observe her and the chimps. His name is Baron Hugo van Lawick. He follows her through the jungle, taking pictures as she works. |
| 1964 | Jane marries Hugo. On March 28, 1964 Jane and Hugo get married. They return to Gombe to continue researching chimps. Eventually they have to add assistants as Jane's work grows. In March of 1967, Jane gives birth to her son, Hugo. They nickname him "Grub." |
| 1974 | A year of struggles. Jane and Hugo divorce in 1974. This same year Jane observes that chimps wage war on other groups of chimps, and that there are even some acts of cannibalism. |
| 1975 | Jane remarries. Jane meets Derek Bryceson, the head of the Tanzanian National Park. They marry in 1975. Their marriage doesn't last long, however, when Derek dies of cancer in 1975. |
| 1977 | The Jane Goodall Institute is established (1977 to the present). Jane starts the Jane Goodall Institute to help people understand the importance of preserving the forests and the animals who live in them. Over the years several programs have developed to help others realize that they, too, can make a difference in the world around them. Jane Goodall will always be known as a pioneer in the research of chimpanzees in the wild, and as a protector of the lands they live in. |