David Thompson was born in London England on April 30th 1770. He is known for being one of the greatest explorers who ever lived [Wilson, S. (2007)
However even though Thompson was also intelligent in mathematics such as trigonometry, geography and practical astronomy; this was a way to navigate and map [Gottfred J&A (2002) the life of David Thompson. Retrieved from: http://www.northwestjournal.ca/V1.htm%5D and he passed away as a poor unknown person until Joseph Burr Tyrell a Canadian geologist found that David Thompson was the main source of the maps today, back in the day his maps were so accurate that future maps were formed by using his map of the North West this is the main reason why he should be remembered as an exceptional person with an exceptional life.
David Thompson also had an exceptional life because of his occupation positioned as a surveyor in Hudson Bay Company yet was attracted by high profits and the freedom to explore where ever he chooses from the northwest company. This made him explore more than 120,000 km of the northwest.
Not only was his job interesting his exploration of Canada’s map was as well he studied not only geography but also cultural practices and tribal knowledge of North Dakota. Thompson was a curious boy who started work at a young age with that he bring along his commitment towards his research. He with misfortune he broke a leg in the 1789 while recovering he studied practical astronomy under Philip turner until he recovered. Years later he was sent on a mission.
Lastly many people think David Thompson is an exceptional figure because of his interesting mind. He could be thought of as a critical thinker because when he is in a situation he uses his mind to invent and create something to find an idea of what the solution will be by trying many ways till he figures a good enough answer to his problem. He uses his mathematical skills and exploration skills along with the experience he has to create and discover. This may be how he made the basis of our maps today.
Video about David Thompson: http://video.ksps.org/video/1476661025/
David Thompson doing practical astronomy
References:
Cranny M., Jarvis G., Moles G., Seney B. (2009). Horizons: Canada’s Emerging Identity. 2nd Ed. Don Mills, Ontario: Pearson Education Canada
Wilson S., parks Canada (2007). A journey of 90 000 kilometres begins with a single step: The extraordinary life of David Thompson, North America’s greatest geographer retrieved from http://www.pc.gc.ca/apprendre-learn/prof/itm2-crp-trc/pdf/thompson_e.pdf
Gottfred, A. and J. The Life of David Thompson. 21 Feb. 2002. The Northwest Journal. (2007) -Retrieved from: http://www.northwestjournal.ca/V1.htm
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