My Life with the Chimpanzees by: Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall was born on April 3, 1934.

Apr 3, 1934

Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall was born in London, England on April 3, 1934. Jane loved animals even as a child. She had a toy chimpanzee animal named Jubilee that she carried everywhere.

Jane discovers where chicken eggs come from.

Oct 22, 1939

In the fall of 1939, Jane hide for hours in a henhouse to discover where eggs come from. Janes love for animals grows. She dreams about watching and writing about animals.

Jane travels to Kenya by boat and meets a famous person.

Apr 2, 1957

Earlier (in 1956) Jane's friend invites her to Kenya. She goes there in 1957 and she meets a famous anthropologist and palaeontologist, Dr. Louis Leakey. He hires her as his assistant and they travel to Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.

Jane arrives in Gombe to study chimpanzees.

Jun 4, 1960

Janes arrives at Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve in Tanzania and begins studying chimpanzees.

Chimpanzees make tools.

Nov 4, 1961

Janes see two chimpanzees (David Greybeard and Goliath) making tools to get termites from their mounds. This is one of her most important discoveries. Up to then, only humans were thought to be able to make tools.

Jane has a son.

Aug 1, 1963

National Geographic sends a photographer to document Jane's life in Gombe. His name is Hugo, and they fall in love and marry and have one son. She later divorces Hugo and remarries in 1975.

Jane earns her Ph.D. in ethology.

Jan 5, 1965

Etology is the study of animals and their behavior.

Gombe Stream Research Center

Jun 1, 1965

National Geographic gives Jane a grant for construction of buildings. With these buildings on the site, the Gombe Stream Research Center is born.

Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation.

May 1, 1977

Jane founds the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation.

Chimpanzoo

Nov 24, 1984

Jane begins groundwork for Chimpanzoo, an international research program.

Roots & Shoots

Dec 25, 1991

Jane and 16 of her students created Roots & Shoots, the Jane Goodall Institute's global environmental and humanitarian education program for kids.

Jane becomes an United Nations Messenger of Peace

Apr 16, 2002

The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan appoints Jane to serve as an United Nations Messenger of Peace.

Dame of British Empire

Feb 20, 2004

Jane is made Dame of the British Empire (the equivalent of a knighthood) during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace of London.

Jane's Life Today

Sep 22, 2012

Jane continues her career by traveling and speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees and other environmental threats and problems.