Few books have played such a large role in history as Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, except perhaps the Bible and the Koran. Published on November 24, 1859, Darwin’s book discussed such new ideas as natural selection, the survival of the fittest and of course, the natural evolutionary progression of homo sapiens. This non religious version of reality sparked a controversy that the world had never known.
There was talk of a knighthood for Darwin before the church interposed. Darwin’s peers reacted in one of two ways: in favor or against the concept that man was descended from apes. Less than a year after the book was published, the term “Darwinism” was coined.
Though the term “fossil” – a derivation of the Latin word for “dug up” — was first used in 16th century France, the petrified impressions of centuries old flora and fauna — including some of what later come to be known as dinosaurs — have been known to man, though wholly misunderstood, since the dawn of civilization.
For thousands of years in China, the gigantic remains of prehistoric lizards and mammals were used as the principle justification for the existence of dragons and even prescribed as a folk medicine. Meanwhile, in the West, scholars from Aristotle to Leonardo da Vinci concluded that fossils were indeed proof of ancient life, while less sound conclusions — such as that fossils were evidence of a long extinct race of giants and the Biblical flood — were propagated by thinkers seeking to reconcile natural science with theology.
One such theorist was the first curator Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, Robert Plot, who in 1676 sketched what he thought to be the thighbone of a colossal man. Though his initial supposition was incorrect, Plot’s discovery would eventually lead to the classification of the first dinosaur genus ever to be categorized by man: megalosaurus.
Over the next century, the number of accidentally discovered fossils from around the world soared upwards, until it became clear that the hugely proportioned remains could not belong to any extant species. In 1796, French naturalist Georges Cuvier was the first to put forward that such animals had been “destroyed by some kind of catastrophe” and were something heretofore unknown to the human race: extinct. Not did his work fly in the face of creationism and a supposed Great Chain of Being dictated by God alone, but also laid the foundations for the theory of evolution that would soon be popularized by Charles Darwin in the second half of the 19th century.
Cuvier spent the rest of his career cataloguing as many of the bygone creatures as he could locate, including the first pterodactyl and mosasaur, as well as Robert Plot’s aforementioned megalosaurus. While he did speculate that there had indeed been an “age of reptiles” before man when giant saurians roamed the Earth, it wasn’t until 1841 that British scientist Richard Plot, drawing Culvier’s conclusion, realized that some fossils were so different that they deserved a distinct name. He subsequently dubbed this kingdom of extinct reptiles “Dinosauria” – meaning “terrible lizards” – and cemented the credibility of a new scientific field — paleontology – in the minds of the general public.
| History Collectors: We offer a wide selection of museum quality replicas and authentic items representing nearly every century of the Common Era and the most significant civilizations of ancient history. Once you browse through our online catalogue, we are certain you’ll find the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one with an interest in history. |
|
|||||||||||
Tags: 1676, 16th century, 1796, 1841, 19th century, age of reptiles, Aristotle, Authentic - Very Large Knightia Fossil Fish from the Green River Formation, Biblical lore, catastrophe theory, Charles Darwin, colossal man myth, creationism, Dinosauria, dinosaurs, dug up, fauna, first dinosaur categorization, flora, Fossils, French naturalist Georges Cuvier, giant saurians, history of extinction, Leonardo da Vinci, megalosaurus, mosasaur, natural science, Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, prehistoric lizards, Prehistory Store, pterodactyl, Richard Plot, Robert Plot, Saber Tooth Cat Skull Replica, theology, Trilobite Fossil Replica, Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex) Skull 2 Replica
On April 21, 1955 the play “Inherit the Wind” debuted on Broadway. The acclaimed full length feature, “Inherit the Wind” premiered in New York City in 1960. Directed by Stanley Kramer, the Oscar nominated film explores the true story of a 1925 court case commonly referred to as the “monkey trial” or “scopes trial”. A look into the controversial matter of creationism versus Darwinism, the movie captured a moment in American history that still holds resonance today. 
Scopes was 24 when he was arrested for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution but his defense by the ACLU was already planned. Clarence Darrow, agnostic and friend of organized labor would be Scopes’ attorney. His verbal battle against Southern Christian William Jennings Bryan is the stuff of both legend and silver screen. The trial took place in a hot southern July at the packed Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee. 
