Origins & Early Life

Percy Harrison Fawcett (18 August 1867 – disappeared 29 May 1925) was a British geographer, artillery officer, cartographer/surveyor, archaeologist and explorer of South America. He disappeared in 1925 (along with his eldest son, Jack, and one of Jack's friends, Raleigh Rimmel) during an expedition to find an ancient lost city which he and others believed existed in the Amazon rainforest. Fawcett was born on 18 August 1867 at Devonia Villa in Torquay, Devon to Edward Boyd Fawcett, a cricketer, and Myra Elizabeth Fawcett (née MacDougall). The Fawcett were a family of old Yorkshire gentry (Fawcett of Scaleby Castle) who had prospered as shipping magnates in the East Indies during the late 18th and 19th centuries.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The second of five siblings, Fawcett was the younger brother of the mountaineer, philosopher and writer Edward Douglas Fawcett. Educated at Newton School in Newton Abbot, where he was a classmate of Bertram Fletcher Robinson, Fawcett attended Westminster School from June 1881 to April 1882. Later enrolling at the Royal Military Academy, Fawcett was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Artillery on 24 July 1886. Fawcett was posted to Trincomalee...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Albert Bassermann — Contemporary (Born in 1867) (1867): Esteemed German stage and screen actor, celebrated for his dramatic versatility.
• Arturo Toscanini — Contemporary (Born in 1867) (1867): Intense Italian conductor, master of orchestral detail, and pivotal figure in 20th-century music.
• Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim — Contemporary (Born in 1867) (1867): Finnish military leader and statesman who guided Finland through tumultuous decades.
• Albert Bandura — Contemporary (Born in 1925) (1925): Pioneering psychologist known for Social Cognitive Theory and self-efficacy.
• Alfred Baphethuxolo Nzo — Contemporary (Born in 1925) (1925): Prominent South African politician and long-serving ANC leader.
• Alfred F. Young — Contemporary (Born in 1925) (1925): Pioneering American historian of the Revolution and working-class social history.
• Alain Delon — Shared historical date (08-18 · Died) (2024): Iconic French actor, producer, and cinematic leading man of the 20th century.
• Antonio Salieri — Shared historical date (08-18 · Born) (1750): Pivotal Italian composer and teacher of the late 18th-century classical opera.
• Charles Baudelaire — Historical peer (Died in 1867) (1867): Master of modern poetry, Baudelaire captured the ephemeral beauty of industrial Paris.
• Charles Dana Gibson — Historical peer (Born in 1867) (1867): Pioneering American illustrator known for creating the iconic 'Gibson Girl' character.
• 1867 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1867
• August 18 (08-18) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on August 18
• 1925 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1925