Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf, to our Tree of Knowledge.

Today's episode, is on my hero, and hero to planet earth and all of its nature. Sir David Attenborough has made over 100 documentaries about life on this planet, and inspired and educated millions along the way.

And I think this quote from Sir David Attenborough himself, sums up, how he feels, and what he purveys to the world. I quote “It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life, that makes life worth living.”

Today’s mnemonic will be on his top six documentaries.

With that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Attenborough_at_Great_Barrier_Reef.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

Sir David Frederick Attenborough (/ˈætənbərə/; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural history documentary series forming the Life collection, a comprehensive survey of animal and plant life on Earth.

Attenborough was a senior manager at the BBC, having served as controller of BBC Two and director of programming for BBC Television in the 1960s and 1970s. First becoming prominent as host of Zoo Quest in 1954, his filmography as writer, presenter and narrator has spanned eight decades; it includes Natural World, Wildlife on One, the Planet Earth franchise, The Blue Planet and its sequel. He is the only person to have won BAFTA Awards in black and white, colour, high-definition, 3D and 4K resolutions. Over his life he has collected dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including 3 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Narration.

While Attenborough's earlier work focused more on the wonders of the natural world, his later work has been more vocal in support of environmental causes. He has advocated for restoring planetary biodiversity, limiting population growth, switching to renewable energy, mitigating climate change, reducing meat consumption, and setting aside more areas for natural preservation.

On his broadcasting and passion for nature, NPR stated he "roamed the globe and shared his discoveries and enthusiasms with his patented semi-whisper way of narrating".[2] He is widely considered a national treasure in the UK, although he himself does not like the term.[3][4][5] He is the younger brother of the late director, producer and actor Richard Attenborough,[6] and older brother of the late motor executive John Attenborough.[7]

Above information extracted from Wikipedia – link: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Weston_Library_Opening_by_John_Cairns_20.3.15-139_David_Attenborough.jpg

Mnemonic

David Attenborough – Top 6 Documentaries – Attenborough’s TOP LiFe

(Picture David Attenborough living his top life as he has, touring the planet whilst illustrating and demonstrating all of life’s beauty)

1. Africa

2. The Blue Planet

3. Our Planet

4. Planet Earth

5. Life

6. Frozen Planet

Five Fun Facts

1. For a man that has travelled the world ad nauseam, Sir David Attenborough surprisingly does not own a car and has never passed his driving test!

And in keeping with this disdain for modern convenience he also prefers letters by fax or post

2. Over his time Sir David Attenborough has had more than 18 plants and animals named after him. The most interesting, a giant carnivorous plant named Nepenthes attenboroughii, which is capable of devouring animals as large as rats.

3. In his job as controller of BBC Two, Sir David Attenborough was responsible for pioneering the broadcast of snooker. But it wasn’t only the broadcast of snooker, it was the broadcast of snooker in colour which highlighted the advantages of colour TV.

4. Along with his knighthood, Sir David Attenborough has had 32 honorary university degrees bestowed upon him, to acknowledge his contribution to science and education.

5. Sir David Attenborough is the only winner of a BAFTA in black and white, colour, HD & 3D Television. His television career began in 1952 when he joined the BBC as a trainee.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:David_Attenborough_Great_Barrier_Reef_screening.jpg

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. Which year was Sir David Attenborough born? Hint: It was the same year as Queen Elizabeth II

Q.2. What is the only animal that Sir David Attenborough does not like? Your options are hyenas, rats, or snakes

Q.3. What year did Sir David Attenborough receive his knighthood? Options are 1985, 1995 or 2005

Bonus Q. What is the title of Sir David Attenborough's autobiography?

Mnemonic Recap

David Attenborough – Top 6 Documentaries – Attenborough’s TOP LiFe

(Picture David Attenborough living his top life as he has, touring the planet whilst illustrating and demonstrating all of life’s beauty)

1. Africa

2. The Blue Planet

3. Our Planet

4. Planet Earth

5. Life

6. Frozen Planet

Three Question Quiz Answers

Q.1. Which year was David Attenborough born? Hint: It was the same year as Queen Elizabeth II

A. 8th May 1926 in West London

Now just a little story in regards to the Queen and Sir David Attenborough. Apparently, one day they were walking through the gardens of Buckingham Palace when they came across a sundial that was in the shade of a tree.

Anyway, they both looked at it and Sir David Attenborough remarked “You may want to move it, if you want to know the time”. And the Queen replied “No, I put it there as a joke”, then she paused for a moment and Attenborough looked at her a little puzzled. Then she quickly concluded and went on to say “And the best jokes are timeless!”

Q.2. What is the only animal that Sir David Attenborough does not like? Your options are hyenas, rats, or snakes

A. Rats

Q.3. What year did Sir David Attenborough receive his knighthood? Options are 1985, 1995 or 2005

A. 1985

Bonus Q. What is the title of Sir David Attenborough's autobiography?

A. Life on Air

Word of the Week

repristinate

[ ree-pris-tuh-neyt ]

verb

to restore to the first or original state or condition.

Example