Daniel Houghton

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Daniel Houghton

1740-1791

Irish explorer whose travels in Africa were both valuable and fatal. Houghton traveled inland along the Gambia River to the Niger River, one of Africa's great rivers. In the process he helped initiate efforts to identify and map some of the major rivers that traverse the African continent, offering routes of transportation and exploration. Unfortunately, Houghton was killed by one of his guides after being robbed.