In 1861, just two years after Darwin published the Origin of Species, quarrymen at Solnhofen in Bavaria found the impression of a skeleton with feathers in fine-grained limestone. Described by Hermann von Meyer, it was acquired by the British Museum, where Richard Owen studied it. The animal had teeth, a long bony tail and clawed fingers like a reptile, but also wings and feathers like a bird. Seen as a perfect transitional form, it gave strong support to Darwin's theory and supported Thomas Huxley's later argument that birds descended from dinosaurs.
Before and after
- 1861Rise of Narodniks
- 1861Maxwell's equations
- 1861Discovery of rubidium
- 1861Discovery of thallium
- 1861The first Archaeopteryx skeleton is found
- 1861Pasteur disproves spontaneous generation
- from 8 February 1861 to 1 May 1865Confederate States of America
- 16 February 1861Earthquake in Lagundi, Simuk, Tello I, Indonesia
- 26 February 1861Death of Taras Shevchenko
More in Evolution & life
- 1824William Buckland describes Megalosaurus, the first dinosaur to be named
- 1842Richard Owen coins the word Dinosauria
- 3 June 1844The last great auks are killed
- 12 August 1883The last quagga dies in Amsterdam
- from 11 February 1896 to 20 February 1897Gojong's internal exile to the Russian legation
- 1905Henry Fairfield Osborn names Tyrannosaurus rex
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.