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Roy Chapman Andrews Facts & Worksheets

Roy Chapman Andrews was an American explorer, naturalist, and adventurer. He led expeditions into the Gobi Desert and Mongolia. Chapman became well-known through his widely read accounts of his travels.

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Formerly the American Museum of Natural History director Roy Chapman Andrews, born January 26, 1884, and died March 11, 1960, was an American explorer, naturalist, and adventurer. He led expeditions into the Gobi Desert and Mongolia through politically turbulent early 20th-century China. Chapman became well-known through his widely read accounts of his travels.

See the fact file below for more information about Roy Chapman Andrews, or you can download our 26-page Roy Chapman Andrews worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION

  • Andrews was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, on January 26, 1884. As a young kid, he practiced his marksmanship while exploring the surrounding farms, forests, and waterways.
  • He paid for Beloit College’s tuition using the money he made from his passion for taxidermy, which he taught himself. After graduation, Andrews applied for a job at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. 
  • Andrews was told there were no positions at his level, but he was so desperate to work there that he worked as a cleaner in the taxidermy section and started gathering specimens for the museum.
  • As a young man, he worked as a self-taught taxidermist to pay for college. After graduating, he tried to seek a job at the Natural History Museum in New York, but there were no openings then. In response, Chapman stated that if he could get into the museum, he would even be ready to scrub the floors.
  • His passion surprised his employer, who hired him as a janitor and assistant taxidermist. Perhaps amusingly, he was tasked with mopping the studio floors every morning while the afternoons were spent working on actual taxidermy.
  • He studied and worked simultaneously for the next three years, graduating from Columbia University with a Master of Arts in mammalogy. Four years after the club’s inception, in 1908, Andrews became a member in New York.

CAREER

  • Andrews traveled to the East Indies on the USS Albatross between 1909 and 1910, observing marine creatures and collecting reptiles and snakes. 
  • He traveled to the Arctic in 1913 with owner John Borden in the schooner Adventuress. They aimed to acquire a bowhead whale specimen for the American Museum of Natural History. 
  • Although he could not obtain a whale specimen, he captured some of the most excellent seal videos ever seen during this mission.
  • In 1914, he wed Yvette Borup. Andrews and his spouse oversaw the museum’s Asiatic Zoological Expedition from 1916 to 1917, covering many western and southern Yunnan and other Chinese provinces. Their experiences are documented in a book entitled Camps and Trails in China.
  • Andrews started organizing trips to Mongolia in 1920 and proceeded to drive a caravan of Dodge vehicles westward from Peking. The group found a relic of Indricotherium (known as “Baluchitherium”), a massive hornless rhinoceros, in 1922. On December 19, the fossil was returned to the museum. In his honor, the fossil species Andrewsarchus was given its name.
  • Andrews conducted multiple “Central Asiatic Expeditions” to seek the oldest human remains in Asia between 1922 and 1928. 
  • Andrews and Henry Fairfield Osborn were proponents of the Out of Asia idea of humanity’s beginnings. The missions did not discover human remains. In addition, Andrews and his crew uncovered the first-ever nests full of dinosaur eggs, bones, and fossilized animals. Andrews’ book, The New Conquest of Central Asia, describes these missions.
  • Henry Fairfield Osborn predicted decades earlier—even before the Asiatic expeditions—that the origins of modern humans would be found in Asia in the foreword of the book written by Andrews, On the Trail of the Ancient Man.
  • The party found dinosaur eggs earlier than anyone else on July 13, 1923. It was discovered in 1995 that the eggs initially believed to be those of a ceratopsian, Protoceratops, belonged to the theropod Oviraptor. Walter W. Granger also found a Cretaceous-era skull on that same expedition.
  • The party received a letter from the museum in 1925 stating that the head belonged to an animal, making it rarer and more expensive. More information was discovered. In 1926 and 1927, there were no more expeditions in the region. 
  • The expedition’s discoveries were taken by Chinese authorities in 1928 but were later given back. The journey scheduled for 1929 was canceled. 
  • During his last expedition in 1930, Andrews found some fossilized mastodons. James B. Shackelford, a cinematographer, documented numerous of Andrews’ journeys on film. (The American Museum of Natural History organized a second trip to Mongolia to continue exploration at the government’s invitation, sixty years after Andrews’ first mission.) Later that year, Andrews returned to the United States and divorced his wife, with whom he had two kids. In 1935, he wed Wilhelmina Christmas, his second wife.
  • Andrews became an Honorary Scout in 1927—a new designation for a Scout established that year—by the Boy Scouts of America. Andrews was elected to the American Philosophical Society in the same year that he received this distinction, which was granted to “American citizens whose accomplishments in outdoor activity, exploration, and meaningful adventure are of such outstanding character as to capture the imagination of boys…”
  • From 1931 until 1934, Andrews served as President of The Explorers Club. He was designated director of the Natural History Museum in 1934. 
  • Andrews retired to North Colebrook, Connecticut, 1942 and wrote in his book The Business of Exploring (1935), “I was meant to be an explorer…There never was any decision to make. I could not do anything else and be happy.” He shared a 160-acre country home called “PondOWoods” with Wilhelmina. 
  • This is where he penned most of his memoirs on his experiences and life. Andrews relocated to Carmel Valley, California, circa 1958. He passed away from heart failure on March 11, 1960, at Peninsula Community Hospital in Carmel, California. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Beloit, California.

LEGACY

  • From 1935 until 1942, Andrews served as the director of the American Museum of Natural History before stepping down to focus on his writing. In addition to his autobiographical Under a Lucky Star (1943) and An Explorer Comes Home (1947), he also wrote the books Whale Hunting with Gun and Camera (1916), Across Mongolian Plains (1921; with Yvette Borup Andrews), Camps and Trails in China (1918), On the Trail of Ancient Man (1926),  The New Conquest of Central Asia (1933), This Business of Exploring (1935), Ends of the Earth (1929), This Amazing Planet (1940), and Beyond Adventure (1954).
  • Douglas Preston, director of the American Museum of Natural History, wrote: “Andrews is allegedly the individual that the character in the movie Indiana Jones was inspired by after. However, neither George Lucas nor the other film producers have verified this. 
  • Additional candidates have been suggested, like Colonel Percy Fawcett. The 120-page transcript of the story events for the movie does not mention Andrews.”
  • According to a Smithsonian Channel research, the connection was made indirectly, with Andrews and other explorers acting as role models for adventure movie heroes in the 1940s and 1950s, who in turn influenced Lucas and other writers.

Roy Chapman Andrews Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Roy Chapman Andrews across 26 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Roy Chapman Andrews. He led expeditions into the Gobi Desert and Mongolia through politically turbulent early 20th-century China. Chapman became well-known through his widely read accounts of his travels.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  1. Roy Chapman Andrew Facts
  2. What’s the Word?
  3. Knowledge First
  4. Know Me
  5. Fact Check
  6. Fill in the Blanks
  7. Paleo Vs Archaeo
  8. A Quote 
  9. Comic Strips 
  10. Indiana Jones
  11. Fossils Excavation

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Roy Chapman Andrews?

Roy Chapman Andrews (1884–1960) was an American explorer, paleontologist, and adventurer. He is best known for leading the Central Asiatic Expeditions of the American Museum of Natural History in the 1920s, during which the first discovery of dinosaur eggs was made.

What is Roy Chapman Andrews most famous for?

Andrews is most famous for leading the Central Asiatic Expeditions in the 1920s, during which important discoveries were made in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. In 1923, his team discovered the first dinosaur eggs ever found, leading to groundbreaking insights into the reproductive habits of dinosaurs.

What dinosaur species did Roy Chapman Andrews discover in the Gobi Desert?

During the Central Asiatic Expeditions, Andrews and his team discovered the remains of a new species of dinosaur, which they named Protoceratops andrewsi. This was a small, herbivorous dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period.

How did Roy Chapman Andrews contribute to the field of paleontology?

Andrews made significant contributions to paleontology by advancing our understanding of prehistoric life through his discoveries. His work in the Gobi Desert not only unveiled new dinosaur species but also provided crucial information about their behavior and environment. Additionally, his approach to exploring and excavating fossils in the field set a precedent for future paleontological expeditions.

What other accomplishments did Roy Chapman Andrews have in his career?

Apart from his paleontological achievements, Andrews had a diverse career. He served as the director of the American Museum of Natural History from 1935 to 1942. He was also an accomplished writer, penning several books about his adventures and experiences. His contributions to science and exploration earned him recognition, and he remains a prominent figure in the history of paleontology.

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