David Attenborough celebrates his 100th birthday

"Born in 1926 in suburban London, Attenborough collected fossils as a child, studied zoology at Cambridge, and got drafted into the Royal Navy in 1947. He had a career as a BBC manager before moving on-camera only after someone else got ill. He was already age 30 though wearing what looks like a Boy Scout uniform of khaki shirt, shorts and knee socks when in 1956, he wrestled a Burmese python into a burlap sack on TV."

"His films have brought intimate scenes of nature to hundreds of millions of viewers. Brits call him a national hero. "He can inform you, or make you cry at some iguanas being chased by snakes!" says Chris Dametto, commuting in central London. "He's a great storyteller, he's a great communicator, and I think the world is better place because of him.""

"Fans dressed in animal costumes lions, tigers and bumble bees gathered around a life-sized cardboard cutout of Attenborough late Thursday on London's Trafalgar Square, singing wildlife ballads Toto's Africa, The Lion Sleeps Tonight by the Tokens and of course, Happy Birthday. A few aspiring Attenborough lookalikes roamed the crowd. There are also special broadcasts on BBC, a concert Friday at Royal Albert Hall, events at science museums, nature walks and tree-planting events."

""It's important to grab his tail as soon as you grab his head," he instructed the audience, after climbing a tree and sawing off a branch, on the Indonesian island of Java. "Otherwise he'll wrap his great coils around you"

David Attenborough was born in 1926 in suburban London, collected fossils as a child, and studied zoology at Cambridge. He was drafted into the Royal Navy in 1947 and later worked as a BBC manager before appearing on camera. He began filming on television in 1956, including handling a Burmese python and giving practical instructions for safely restraining it. His wildlife films have reached hundreds of millions of viewers with intimate scenes of nature. In the United Kingdom, he is widely regarded as a national hero and climate campaigner. Celebrations include public gatherings in Trafalgar Square, BBC broadcasts, a Royal Albert Hall concert, science museum events, nature walks, and tree-planting activities.

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