Percy Harrison Fawcett

Percy Harrison Fawcett

Percy Harrison Fawcett was born on August 18th, 1867. Percy passed away May 29th, 1925 at 57 years old. Percy Harrison Fawcett was born in Torquay, England.

Percy Harrison Fawcett was a British geographer, artillery officer, mapmaker, archaeologist, and explorer of South America.

In 1925, he vanished in the Amazon rainforest while on an expedition with his eldest son, Jack and Jack’s friend Raleigh Rimmel. They were searching for a legendary ancient city that many believed was hidden in the jungle.

Fawcett’s book Exploration Fawcett recounts the remarkable adventures of Percy Harrison Fawcett, an English army officer who became one of the most daring explorers of South America in the early twentieth century.

At the time, the continent was emerging from the rubber boom, and the Amazon remained a wild frontier where danger was everywhere. Fawcett thrived in this environment, facing challenges that would make fictional heroes like Indiana Jones seem tame in comparison.

Fawcett began his expeditions in 1906 when he was tasked with surveying the border between Brazil and Bolivia. This was a tough assignment, but he proved to be the right man for such a task. He admitted he was strangely drawn to the harsh conditions of the jungle, once writing that he loved its terrifying hold on him.

For nearly twenty years, he explored the Amazon, driven by stories of ancient lost cities. He became fixated on one in particular, a place he named Z, which he believed to be home to a mysterious civilization of so-called white Indians in the Matto Grosso region. That obsession ultimately led to his disappearance in 1925, when he, his eldest son Jack, and Jack’s friend Raleigh Rimmel vanished during an expedition to find it.

The idea of hidden white civilizations has long been part of colonial myths. Similar legends include the so-called Welsh Indians in North America and a supposed lost white colony that convicts in Australia believed existed near Sydney, which was described in the book Tour to Hell.

One of the book’s strengths is that Fawcett comes across as much more than the typical fearless adventurer. His resourcefulness often surprises, such as his method of avoiding starvation by praying aloud for food, which he claimed always resulted in the sudden arrival of animals ready to be hunted. His passion for the most extreme conditions is remarkable, though it also appears somewhat reckless.

Overall, Exploration Fawcett is an extraordinary account of exploration and obsession. It combines thrilling adventures, dangerous encounters, and the mystery of a legendary lost city with the enduring question of what truly became of Percy Fawcett.

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Fans of Percy Harrison Fawcett also enjoy these authors:

1. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
2. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter Series.
3. Harlan Coben, author of the Myron Bolitar Series.
4. Charles Dickens, author of: A Christmas Carol.
5. Karin Slaughter, author of the Will Trent Series.

Percy Harrison Fawcett: F.A.Q