Google honorsย British archaeologist and anthropologist Mary Leakey with a doodle depicting her in an excavation site. Along with her are two dalmatians, as she was known for having her pets on site during her digs. On the foreground are footprints which perhaps represent the Laetoli footprints โ to which she is known to have been the discoverer. Behind, the letters G, l and e are clearly seen to resemble rock formations while Mary and her dogs replace o and g in the middle.
Born Mary Douglas Nicol on February 6, 1913, inย London, she is related to many famous names in the field of science,ย antiquarianย John Frereย for one and alsoย archaeologistย Sheppard Frere.ย Not made for formal education and traditional schooling, Mary has been expelled not just once from the schools she once was registered. With the help of her supportive mother, Mary was able to go through rejections and finally get to attendย lectures unregistered in archaeology and related subjects atย University College Londonย and theย London Museum, where she studied underย Mortimer Wheeler (wiki).
ย ยMary enjoyed two things;ย drawing and archaeology โ the first would be the groundwork for meeting her would be husband, Louis Leakey, himself anย ย archaeologistย and naturalist. Sharing the sameย ย interests and values: a love of freedom and dislike for rules, an egalitarian frame of mind extending even to animals, a desire for adventure, and a passion for archaeology โ they raised their three sons in the same environment.ย ย The boys namelyย Jonathan, bornย in 1940,ย Richard, bornย in 1944, andย Philip, bornย in 1949 received much of their early childhood care at various anthropological sites.
The familyย worked together inย Olduvai Gorge, uncovering theย toolsย and fossils of ancientย hominines, uncovering the OH 7 among others. Mary also developed a system forย classifyingย the stone tools found at Olduvai.ย Mary died on 9 December 1996 at the age of 83 known for her works as aย paleoanthropologist, her contributions greatly recognized in the field.
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