On 2 December 1929 the Chinese palaeontologist Pei Wenzhong found a complete skull of Homo erectus in a cave at Zhoukoudian, near Beijing, after years of excavation led by Davidson Black and later Franz Weidenreich. Dated to roughly 700,000 to 400,000 years ago, the site yielded over 40 individuals and evidence for tools and use of fire. The fossils vanished in 1941 while being shipped to the United States for safety at the start of the war with Japan, a mystery that has never been solved. Casts made earlier remain.
Before and after
- 7 November 1929Construction of Museum of Modern Art
- 9 November 1929Birth of Imre Kertész
- 12 November 1929Birth of Grace Kelly
- 15 November 1929Birth of Ed Asner
- 2 December 1929A skull of Peking Man is found at Zhoukoudian
- 13 December 1929Birth of Christopher Plummer
- 1930Construction of Lenin's Mausoleum
- 1930Salt March
- 1930Founding of São Paulo FC
More in Evolution & life
- 1 September 1914Martha, the last passenger pigeon, dies
- 28 November 1924Discovery of Taung Child
- 1933Discovery of Harbin cranium
- 7 October 1935Discovery of Loschbour man
- 7 September 1936The last thylacine dies in captivity
- from 18 May 1944 to 20 May 1944Deportation of the Crimean Tatars
The era
This moment belongs to the Modern era (1914 CE to 1945 CE), world wars and a changing world. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.