Quote- “Nature once determined how we survive. Now we determine how nature survives.”— Sir David Attenborough

This month’s blog is unique in two ways. I want to celebrate the truly inspirational Sir David Attenborough on the occasion of his 100^th birthday which will be on May 8^th, and also list some of his extraordinary achievements. I think nearly everyone would say they have a great respect and admiration for Sir David and all he has taught us about our world over decades. As a young writer, I feel inspired by the many books Sir David has written, co-authored and been a part of. They remind us of the coffee table sized books where landscapes and animals from around the world are captured with the best cinematic camera shots.

I want to list twelve of the incredible statistics that reflect only a small part of the vast influence and love Sir David has gained over a long life and career.

• Sir David will be 100 on the 8^th May and even though his children have led private lives and not much is known, I found out that his son Robert is 75 and his daughter Susan is 72. Remarkable.
• Sir David has been on the TV for almost the entire history of TV. He first presented Zoo Quest in 1954, which means his presenting career is now in its 72^nd year!
• He has 12 different sets of letters after his name, including honours from the Royal Family and various natural/scientific societies.
• He is the only person to have won BAFTA Awards in black-and-white, colour, high-definition, 3D and 4K resolution.
• Beginning with Life on Earth in 1979, Attenborough set about creating a body of work which became a benchmark of quality in wildlife film-making and influenced a generation of documentary film-makers.
• Attenborough is very knowledgeable about music. He appeared in 14 of the 127 episodes of Face the Music, from 1975 to 1983.
• He has written 29 books.
• He has revived 32 honorary degrees.
• He was won over 35 major awards, from TV and film, to charity awards and many lifetime achievement honours.
• In 2022 the United Nations Environment Programme recognised Attenborough as a Champion of the Earth “for his dedication to research, documentation, and advocacy for the protection of nature and its restoration”.
• At least 20 species and genera, both living and extinct, have been named in Attenborough’s honour.
• By 2025, Sir David’s total awards and honours combined total 50, which is truly amazing. He is highly respected across many different fields.

As you can see Sir David has had a life of immense impact to many millions of people. The programmes, books and material he has given to us about the beauty of our world, its fragility and what we can do to better protect it for future generations, is testament to his passion and knowledge that started as a boy collecting fossils in the 1930s.

I would argue Sir David is one of the greatest humans to live and will hold a large portion of historic gratitude in the future for all his hard work. I hope you have enjoyed learning more about Sir David Attenborough and can raise a toast to his continued good health, on his 100^th birthday on May 8^th.

Work Cited-

BBC. “BBC”. BBC. Date last updated: 19^th February 2026. URL: bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/c3v79ewkvl6o.

Good Good Good. “Good Good Good”. Good Good Good. Date accessed: 26^th April 2026. URL: goodgoodgood.co/David-attenborough-quotes.