May 8, 2026, marked the 100th birthday of English broadcaster, writer and historian Sir David Attenborough. Throughout his eight-decade-long career, Attenborough has advocated for natural wilderness and environmental causes, and he is widely considered to be a national treasure in the United Kingdom (UK).
Attenborough’s career started in the early 1950s when he began working at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). His first presenting role was in 1954 with “Zoo Quest,” a series of nature documentaries. He would later go on to create, write and present the lives of creatures around the world in his most recognizable work, “The Life Series,” which was a vastly successful collection of nine documentaries.
Environmental enthusiast Jenny Hacker recalls feeling awe-struck by Attenborough’s 2006 documentary “Planet Earth.”
“I remember feeling enthralled by the up-close world of nature, fascinated by each and every landscape, obsessed with how each species had its own little dramatic story that pulled me in,” Hacker said. “I remember thinking, ‘Well, obviously as soon as we all watch these documentaries, we will no longer destroy our environment for our own personal greed.’ Then I went and bought ‘Planet Earth’ so I could watch it again and again.”
Attenborough’s influence has reached far and wide. He has shaped nature documentaries as they are today, being the first to make a television series surveying life in Antarctica (“Life in the Freezer”) and the first to capture the behavior of invertebrates (“Life in the Undergrowth”), thanks to the development of camera technology.
In 2001, he narrated the BBC Natural History Unit’s first comprehensive series on marine life in “The Blue Planet.” He later returned to narrate “Planet Earth” in 2006, which remains television’s biggest nature documentary. His later documentary narration credits include “Great Barrier Reef” in 2015, Netflix’s “Our Planet” in 2019 and “Prehistoric Planet” in 2022.
“His series ‘Our Planet,’ really inspired me to learn more about the environment, because I learned about animals in the rainforest, like frogs, ants and certain birds of paradise,” San Marin High School junior Rogan Ferrell Bell said. “I found it really interesting, and it made me want to learn more about the interconnected ecosystem. I think it’s cool that he’s trying to educate as many young people as he can about the world and the environment.”
In addition to his television work, Attenborough has done a lot of philanthropic work, including advocating against climate change, deforestation, trawling and mass extinction.
“I think by showing people our beautiful and amazing planet, David Attenborough has hopefully made people think about what we should be doing to protect and care for it,” San Marin Advanced Placement Environmental Science teacher Melissa Havel said. “‘Planet Earth’ and ‘Blue Planet’ should hopefully inspire awe and wonder in all of us, and at the same time, propel us to act to protect these animals so future generations can also witness them in the wild.”
Attenborough has been knighted twice, once in 1985 by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to television, and the second time in 2022 by Prince Charles (now King Charles III), when he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George for his lifetime contribution to educating the public and his campaign for environmental protection.
At least 20 species and genera have been named after Attenborough, including a genus of flowering plants called Sirdavidia and a Caribbean spider called Spintharus davidattenboroughi. He has won over 35 major awards, has over 1,600 screen credits and has authored nearly 30 books. For his 100th birthday, the toy brand Lego changed its iconic “ages 4-99” label to be “ages 4-100+” in honor of Attenborough. “Updated for you, Sir David,” Lego said in an Instagram post.
“Every time I watch something of his, I am hit with a mixture of utter awe at the magnificence and sadness because our planet is so beautiful and we are destroying it,” Hacker said. “I also cry every time the hunter catches its prey, though I know it is all part of the circle of life.”
In his vast career and century of life, Attenborough has touched the hearts and minds of millions and remains a cornerstone of environmental preservation.
