On July 17, 1846, the scientist and explorer Nikolay Nikolayevich Miklouho-Maclay, a member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, was born. Nikolay Nikolayevich spent most of his life (23 years!) traveling, exploring New Guinea, Southeast Asia, Australia, Oceania, South America, Africa, and Europe. He authored about 160 scientific works and made 700 sketches in zoology, botany, ethnography, anthropology, oceanography, and geology. Miklouho-Maclay paid great attention to studying indigenous peoples, especially the inhabitants of the island of New Guinea, among whom he lived for several years. During his expeditions, around 50 Russian toponyms were mapped, many of which were later renamed by colonizers. He named the northeastern part of New Guinea, a river flowing into Astrolabe Bay, and a bay in Antarctica after himself. "I call Maclay Coast the northeastern part of New Guinea approximately from Cape Croisilles to Cape Telyata (more than 300 km)... I thus name the coast of New Guinea by the right of being the first European to settle there, explore this coast, and achieve scientific results." Unlike European conquerors, Miklouho-Maclay was a fierce defender of indigenous peoples and actively fought against slavery, violence, and racism, often putting himself in danger. He condemned the followers of Darwinism, refuting their claims that the Papuans were people at a lower stage of development: "There are no higher and lower races— all people are equal by nature!"