1821-1893

British explorer who tried to discover the source of the Nile River. Baker left in 1860 on an expedition of exploration. He met up with John Speke and James Augustus Grant at Gondokoro in 1863 and, in 1864, reached Lake Albert (now Lake Mobutu Sese Seko) on the Uganda border. Although Baker never succeeded in reaching the source of the Nile, he was knighted in 1866 upon his return.