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Why did the Royal Geographical Society honor David Livingstone after the first European sighting of Lake Ngami?
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David Livingstone
Portrait of Scottish missionary. physician, and explorer David Livingstone, albumen silver print by John Jabez Edwin Mayall, c. 1857; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
The Royal Geographical Society honored David Livingstone with a gold medal and a monetary prize because he achieved recognition as the surveyor and scientist responsible for the first European sighting of Lake Ngami on August 1, 1849. This accomplishment earned him a measure of fame and marked the beginning of his lifelong association with the society, which subsequently supported his future explorations and interests in Britain.1