Roy Chapman Andrews

Roy in the Mongolian Desert

Roy Chapman Andrews has always been my hero because of his bravery and perseverance. This is his story.

Roy Chapman Andrews was born on January 26, 1884, in Beloit, Wisconsin. He knew from the start exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up, and that was to be an explorer. After he graduated from college, he came to seek a job at the Natural Museum of History. At first they turned him down, but he wasn’t giving up there. He went and begged the director of the museum for a job. Because the director was touched by Roy’s perseverance, by the summer of 1906, Roy was mopping floors for the museum. Andrew’s first special mission was to the beaches of Long Island to gather the remains of a giant whale. Soon, he was going on missions to retrieve whale remains in Japan, Korea, Alaska, and New York. In 1922, Roy came up with a plan to take a paleontology trip by car to Mongolia. At first, everyone thought he was crazy. In China, there was a Civil war going on, and automobiles were still a new invention. Despite what they said, Roy went to Mongolia anyway. He faced bandits, vipers, and sandstorms, and his reward was findings of almost 40 dinosaur species, some entirely new to man! Another reward was quite shocking…

Andrew's beast!

One morning a member of his crew literally stumbled on a discovery that changed our understanding of the history of dinosaurs forever. A member of his crew was climbing a steep rocky cliff when he slipped and slid down 10 feet of hard rocks, until he landed on a ledge. When he saw what was by his feet, he couldn’t believe his eyes. When he called out to the crew what he had found, they didn’t believe it, but after examining his find, it was clear. They had discovered the first dinosaur eggs ever to be found, which ended a dispute with the conclusion that dinosaurs were hatched, not born live.

Roy is my hero because he never gave up, no matter what he came across. He was a daring man who always tried his best. He showed no fear even though he was afraid when he faced his fears. He had defended the camp from 47 venomous vipers despite his fear of snakes. I, myself, have always wanted to be a paleontologist and scientist so I can discover many new things in the scientific world just like he did! Roy has inspired me to never give up no matter what, and a lot has come to me that makes me want to give up. But then I remember what he did and that he never gave up, and that means I can keep on trying, too! He has inspired me to try new things, no matter what other people think.

The mighty velociraptor!

Fun fact: Roy survived a boating accident when he was a teenager. From then on it was said that he was born under a lucky star.

Dinosaurs Roy discovered:

Velociraptor

Protoceratops

Oviraptor

also he discovered the first dinosaur eggs

Prehistoric creatures he discovered/studied:

Andrewsarchus

He studied the Mongolian death worm