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Ep. 67 Bone Wars: How Dueling Fossil Hunters Put Dinosaurs on the Map
Description
Join the Patreon for exclusive bonus content! Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope were American paleontologists during the second half of the 19th century. Although they started as friends, they soon turned bitter enemies, competing against one another for 20 years to find and name the most fossils. This duel, often dubbed the “bone wars” led to espionage, sabotage, scandal, backstabbing, name calling, bribery, theft, and the throwing of literal rocks. It also led to a lot of mistakes made in haste. But, at the end of the day, it led to the discovery of 130 dinosaur species including Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Allosaurus, Apatosaurus (AKA Brontosaurus… I'll explain in the episode!), and more. Check out this week’s episode of History Fix to learn more, wherever you get your podcasts (or link in bio).
Sources:
- PBS American Experience "O.C. Marsh and E.D. Cope: A Rivalry"
- Encyclopedia Britannica "George Peabody"
- BBC "The bitter dinosaur feud at the heart of paleontology"
- ThoughtCo "The 20-Year Bone Wars That Changed History"
- WTTW "The Two Paleontologists Who Had a Bone to Pick With Each Other"
- Berkeley University "Early Dinosaur Discoveries in North America"
- Mental Floss "Edward Drinker Cope and the Story of the Paleontologist's Wandering Skull"
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