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Paul Belloni Du Chaillu (1831 - 1903) was a French-American explorer in Africa. Presumed born in Paris, he spent his youth on the west coast of Africa, where his father was a trader in Gabon. There he learned the native language and became interested in exploring the interior. Arriving in the United States in 1852, he became a citizen and gained the support of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences for an exploration to explore Gabon. On his explorations (1855 - 1859), he captured many rare birds and animals, some of them previously unknown to science. He brought back the first gorillas to be seen in America! His first published account, Explorations in Equatorial Africa (1861), upset the previous idea of the region's geography; he made a second journey (1863 -1865) to prove the truth of his account. On this trip he visited many tribes that had never been heard of before and confirmed earlier reports of Pygmy people. While in Ashango land in 1865 he was elected King of the Apingi tribe. His book A Journey to Ashango Land (1867), is an account of this expedition. He next wrote several books for young adults based on his experiences in Africa, My Apingi Kingdom being one of them. He traveled in Scandinavia (1871 - 1878) and wrote The Land of the Midnight Sun (1881) and The Viking Age (1889).