Jane goodall timeline
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About Jane
In July 1960, at the age of 26, Jane Goodall traveled from England to what is now Tanzania and ventured into the little-known world of wild chimpanzees.
Equipped with little more than a notebook, binoculars, and her fascination with wildlife, Jane Goodall braved a realm of unknowns to give the world a remarkable window into humankind’s closest living relatives. Through nearly 60 years of groundbreaking work, Dr. Jane Goodall has not only shown us the urgent need to protect chimpanzees from extinction; she has also redefined species conservation to include the needs of local people and the environment. Today she travels the world, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees and environmental crises, urging each of us to take action on behalf of all living things and planet we share.
Early Discoveries
When Jane Goodall entered the forest of Gombe, the world knew very little about chimpanzees, and even less about their unique genetic kinship to humans. She took an unorthodox approach in her field research, immersing herself in their habitat and the
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Above photo by Vanne Goodall, National Geographic
Jane Goodall and Hugo van Lawick observe a family of chimpanzees. Learn more about Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking behavioral research at “Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall,” an exhibition organized by National Geographic and the Jane Goodall Institute.
In 1960, Jane Goodall found herself in the open hills and dense forest of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park, studying chimpanzees. She was just 26 years old at the time, and her discoveries would make her a legend by the time she turned 27.
The seeds of discovery were planted in her childhood, blossoming into a deep love of animals and fascination with Africa. In her twenties, an invitation from a childhood friend brought her to Kenya and into the employ of renowned paleoanthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey. Leaky saw in Goodall the grit and patience needed for fieldwork and selected her to study chimpanzees—our closest living relatives—as part of his research into early human behavior. So it was that Goodall began observing wild chimpanzees in Gombe, accompa
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Jane Goodall
(1934-)
Who Is Jane Goodall?
Jane Goodall set out to Tanzania in 1960 to study wild chimpanzees. She immersed herself in their lives, bypassing more rigid procedures to make discoveries about primate behavior that have continued to shape scientific discourse. A highly respected member of the world scientific community, she advocates for ecological preservation through the Jane Goodall Institute.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Dame Jane Morris Goodall
BORN: April 3, 1934
BIRTHPLACE: London, England
SPOUSE: Derek Bryceson (m. 1975–1980), Hugo van Lawick (m. 1964–1974)
CHILDREN: Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick
Early Years and Interest in Animals
Goodall was born on April 3, 1934, in London, England, to Mortimer Herbert Goodall, a businessperson and motor-racing enthusiast, and the former Margaret Myfanwe Joseph, who wrote novels under the name Vanne Morris Goodall. Along with her sister, Judy, Goodall was reared in London and Bournemouth, England.
Goodall's fascination with animal behavior began in early childhood. In her leisure time, she observed native birds and anima
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