The story
- Sir David Attenborough, born May 8, 1926, turns 100 years old today — making him the rare person who has lived to see the sweeping environmental change he spent a lifetime documenting and fighting to reverse.
- The BBC is hosting a live concert at the Royal Albert Hall featuring artists who scored Attenborough's series, including Sigur Rós performing Hoppípolla and Bastille's Dan Smith. Special documentaries are airing throughout the day.
- Scientists honoured the milestone by naming a newly discovered parasitic wasp after Attenborough — one of more than a dozen species bearing his name, including a genus of Jurassic marine reptiles.
- A butterfly farm in Stratford-upon-Avon — which Attenborough visited during a 1983 documentary — plans to release 100 Blue Morpho butterflies in his honour.
- The Attenborough Nature Reserve in Nottinghamshire, which he opened in 1966, is marking both his 100th birthday and the reserve's 60th anniversary with three days of public events.
- He is currently still at work — Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure aired this week, featuring his memories of filming gorillas in Rwanda, which he called "one of the most privileged moments of my life."
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I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas.
— Sir David Attenborough, in a message to the BBC
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