On 17 July 1959 Mary Leakey spotted part of a skull in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, after years of searching by her and Louis Leakey. It belonged to a robust australopithecine nicknamed 'Nutcracker Man' for its enormous teeth, and called Zinjanthropus boisei. Dated to 1.75 million years ago by the new potassium-argon technique, it proved that humans were far older than assumed. The find also brought National Geographic funding, publicity and a stream of further discoveries at Olduvai, including Homo habilis in 1960 and 1964.
Before and after
- from 23 May 1959 to 2 December 1975Laotian Civil War
- 27 May 1959Birth of Donna Strickland
- 28 May 1959Creation of COBOL
- 7 June 1959Birth of Mike Pence
- 17 July 1959Mary Leakey finds Zinjanthropus at Olduvai Gorge
- from 31 July 1959 to 20 October 2011Basque conflict
- 12 September 1959Launch of Luna 2
- 4 October 1959Launch of Luna 3
- 9 October 1959Birth of Boris Nemtsov
More in Evolution & life
- 1975Discovery of Luzia
- 1978The Laetoli footprints are uncovered
- 12 August 1990Discovery of Sue
- October 1996Sinosauropteryx, the first feathered dinosaur, is announced
- 2000Discovery of Selam
- May 2013Discovery of Happisburgh footprints
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.