During the course of his studies he read an appeal on behalf of the Chinese Missions which captured his imagination and made him determined to go to China to work as a missionary. He saved hard and by the time he was 23 he was able to afford to attend medical classes at the Anderson College in Glasgow, where he studied in winter and worked in the mill in summer. Once he had progressed enough in his studies he made an application to the London Missionary Society for service in China, where he was interviewed and accepted. The Opium War was going on at this time, which meant that China was closed to him for the time being. In the interim he attended a meeting which was addressed by Dr Robert Moffat, a missionary working in Kuruman, Africa. He inspired Livingstone to go to Africa instead of China and in 1840 he sailed for Africa on board the ship 'George'. Livingstone went to Kuruman to learn the workings of a mission station and stayed there a while before setting off northwards to deliver the Christian message. While at Kuruman he met Dr Moffat's daughter Mary and they eventually married in 1845. The Livingstones moved around a lot, establishing missions all over the area north of Kuruman and east of the Kalahari desert. As well as his missionary work, Livingstone spent a lot of time studying the geology and natural history of the surrounding countryside. The hardships of living in uncharted territory increased however and Livingstone sent his wife and children back to Britain as he was concerned for their welfare. Livingstone remained in Africa and it was really from this point that he became more an explorer than anything else. As he journeyed he came into contact with the slave trade and was appalled about the whole business, so much so that he determined to put a stop to it. His reports home about the distressing effects of the slave trade led to an upsurge in British opinion against the slave traders and the British government was forced to take action.

Livingstone spent most of the next thirty years in Africa where he worked as a missionary and explorer. By the time he died at the age of 60 in 1873, Livingstone had travelled 46,661 kilometres in Africa and mapped almost 2,590 kilometres, much of which was previously unexplored by Europeans. Of all his journeys Livingstone is probably most famous for the 'Trans Africa Expedition' (1853-1856) when he became the first European to travel across Africa from coast to coast, a journey of 4,300 miles, most of it on foot. Of the many natural wonders that Livingstone encountered on his travels, one of the most spectacular must have been the Victoria Falls - he was the first European to see them. HM Stanley, an American journalist, was sent by his newspaper the New York Herald to find Livingstone as he had not been heard of for four years. He finally met Livingstone at Ujiji in October 1871 with the words 'Dr Livingstone, I presume?'. Stanley brought with him much needed medicine and supplies and the two became firm friends for the four months that Stanley was in Africa with Livingstone. Stanley tried to get him to return home but was unsuccessful and Livingstone carried on his explorations, by this time sapped of energy and suffering ill health. His followers eventually had to carry him on a litter but he was determined to keep going until his followers finally realised that he did not have the ability or the enthusiasm to drive them onwards. They built him a hut at Ilala, knowing very well that the end was near. They found him kneeling by his bedside at 4am on 1 May 1873, having died in prayer. His heart was buried under a Myula tree near where he died but his body was transported back to Britain where he was buried in Westminster Abbey on 18 April 1874 - a day of national mourning.

Livingstone's work in Africa is generally regarded as being in three separate periods, reflecting the titles of the books he wrote about his expeditions. Missionary Travels and Exploration 1841-1856, The Zambesi Expedition 1858-1864 and Last Journeys 1866-1873. The following short chronology outlines some of the major events in Livingstone's life.

• 1813: David Livingstone born, Blantyre near Glasgow

• 1823: Begins working in the mills aged 10

• c1836: Starts his training to become a doctor

• 1837: Applies to join the London Missionary Society

• 1840: Sets sail for Cape Town in South Africa

• 1841: Arrives in Cape Town and travels 800 miles north to Robert Moffat's mission station in Kuruman.

• 1841-9: Exploring the area around Kuruman. In 1844 he was badly attacked by a lion.

• 1849-51: Crossed the Kalahari desert for Lake Ngami and the Zambesi River. The journey was dangerous and the Livingstone children (Robert, Agnes and Thomas) suffered from malaria and malnutrition. Baby Elizabeth died.

• 1853-6: Trans-Africa Expedition.

• 1855: First European to see Victoria Falls

• 1858-64: The Zambesi Expedition. This expedition failed to follow the Zambesi to its source but did lead to the European discovery of Lake Nyassa (Lake Malawi).

• 1866-73: The last journey - search for the source of the Nile. It was in this period that Livingstone witnessed the worst of the devastation caused by the slave trade.

• 1871: Met with Stanley at Ujiji.

• 1873 - 1st May: in a great deal of pain and discomfort Livingstone dies at prayer. His companions carry his body to the coast to allow him to be buried at home.

• 1874: Livingstone buried in a state funeral at Westminster Abbey