by Nur Hussein, contributing writer
Sir David Attenborough, born on in Isleworth, west London, is a science communicator, broadcaster and has inspired countless people in the natural sciences. He is, perhaps, most famous for his amazing nature documentaries, and today, he celebrates his 88th birthday today.
Attenborough’s most famous documentary series Life, is an ongoing series of nature documentaries that began in 1979. He also produced Planet Earth in 2006: a tv series that was the most expensive nature documentary to be made for the BBC, and the first to be filmed in High Definition.
He’s been involved in an eclectic mix of productions ranging from folk music (one of his early productions called Song Hunter), to a children’s cryptozoology show called Fabulous Animals, to being on the team that commissioned Monty Python during his tenure as controller of BBC2. He has collaborated with Björk on the intersection of nature and music, and participated in an anti-badger-culling campaign with Brian May, Queen’s guitarist.
Attenborosaurus
In recent years, Attenborough has turned his attention toward bringing awareness about climate change, population growth, and endangered species. In recognition of his long list of contributions to science communication, he has had a number of honors bestowed upon him including knighthood, over 30 honorary degrees, and a number of plants and animals named after him, including an extinct plesiosaur called the Attenborosaurus.
Happy birthday, Sir David Attenborough! May you have many more healthy and productive years yet to come.
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Nur is a tinkerer of programmable things, an apprentice in an ancient order of technomages. He enjoys fantasy, sci-fi, comic books, and Lego in his spare time. His favourite authors are Asimov and Tolkien. He also loves Celtic and American folk music. You can follow him on twitter: @nurhussein
