The last great auks are killed

The great auk was a flightless seabird, about 80 cm tall, that once nested on rocky islands across the North Atlantic. Hunted for its meat, eggs, feathers and oil by sailors for centuries, it became so rare that museums and collectors pursued it. On 3 June 1844 fishermen killed the last known pair on the islet of Eldey off Iceland for a collector, and smashed their egg. The bird lent its name to the 'penguin' because early sailors applied it to southern seabirds, and it was a warning for later conservation.

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