On November 10, 1871, Henry Stanley reported meeting David Livingstone in the heart of Africa.

Livingstone, a Scottish missionary and explorer, had disappeared years before while searching for the source of the River Nile.

Stanley, a self-promoting journalist, had been sent by the New York Herald to find him.

On November 10, 1871 the Scottish explorer who'd disappeared in Africa while searching for the source of the Nile was found by a reporter for the New York Herald. CBS News

And, lo and behold, after months of searching, Henry Stanley finally did encounter Livingstone, a moment dramatized in the 1939 film "Stanley and Livingstone," starring Spencer Tracy and Sir Cedric Hardwicke:

Stanley: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

Livingstone: "Yes."

Stanley: "I thank God, doctor, I've been permitted to see you."

Stanley's headline-making account made those words famous around the world.

As for whether those were actually spoken, well, we can only take Henry Stanley's word for it.



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Story produced by Charis Satchell.