A Brief History
On December 18, 1912, Charles Dawson announced the discovery of the prehistoric missing link between ape and man!
Digging Deeper
Digging deeper, we find Dawson, an amateur archaeologist presenting fossilized skull pieces to the Geological Society of London, claiming they were found in a quarry near Piltdown, East Sussex.
The scientific community accepted the skull and jaw bones as genuine and declared a new species of ape-man, naming it Eoanthropus dawsoni. This creature was touted as the “missing link” between ape and man.
As usual with new scientific discoveries, critics did not accept the discovery and conclusions as genuine, citing discrepancies in various aspects of the skull and teeth. The find was generally accepted as real and became part of “science” for 40 years. Dawson’s “discovery” of another Piltdown Man’s bones (named after the town near the original discovery) in 1915 reinforced the belief in the authenticity of Piltdown Man.
In 1953, a group of English scientists studying Piltdown Man came to the conclusion that the so called discovery was indeed a hoax, probably the longest and most widely believed hoax concerning the evolution of humans. Indeed, it ranks third on the list of “Top 10 Hoaxes of All Time“. The fossils consisting of human skull parts dating from medieval times, orangutan jaw parts perhaps 500 years old and chimpanzee teeth were irrefutable evidence of fraud.
As Dawson had died in 1916, it is not known today if he originated the hoax or if he himself was duped by being presented the phony fossils. Several people may have been involved in perpetrating the fraud, either singly or in unison.
This fraudulent discovery actually many have hindered scientific progress by misleading researchers and diverting them from factual research and wasting their time on the hoax. Modern dating techniques (such as carbon dating and fluorine absorption) should prevent science being fooled in the future. Question for students (and subscribers): Still, one has to admit the hoax was pretty darn successful, though the question becomes, why? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
The incident has been put forth as one of the top ten reasons why Christians should study evolution in high school. Not surprisingly, it has been the subject of numerous books, including…
Maxwell, Jonathan. Piltdown Man and Other Hoaxes: A book about Lies, Legends, and the Search for the Missing Link. American Book Publishing, 2012.
Russell, Miles. Piltdown Man: The Secret Life of Charles Dawson (Revealing History). Tempus, 2004.
Russell, Miles. The Piltdown Man Hoax: Case Closed. The History Press, 2013.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="871 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=871">114 Comments
Was going to say that I’ve never heard of the Eoanthropus Dawsoni, but obviously that’s because it was a big hoax. Wonder how he wold’ve been punished if he was alive.
People are always trying to find ways to become famous and in this particular case, Dawson tried to take the easy way out. I also wonder what would’ve happened to Dawson in terms of punishment if he was still alive.
The uncovering of this hoax makes me wonder what else has been falsely accepted in the name of science. The curiosity of the researchers and the sought after “missing link” allowed for this hoax to perpetuate. The new forms of dating have more concretely based further research into our past.
How could something like this go uncontested for over 40 years! I think that is just crazy to think of all the man hours that went into that and were just essentially wasted time that could have been doing something else.
Wow! After reading this my mind just thinks, “did Darwin know?” because he was a very famous man and gave evolution the push it needed to go in the right direction when he published “The Origin of Species”, it seems crazy to think such a smart person could have been tricked like this.
It is mind blowing that these fossils were accepted as part of scientific evidence for years! The fact that the fossils were phony and were not declared phony until 40 years after is puzzling and also has me wondering if there are still fossils deemed evidence of human evolution which are phony as well.
I find it insane that a hoax could go down as fact for over 40 years! I do agree that nowadays it would be very tough to pull off a similar stunt.
The comment at the end of the article had the idea that maybe this discovery actually hindered progress. if it is a hoax or not we will not know the 100% answer.
I have a feeling he knew exactly what he was doing, how could orangutan, human and chimpanzee parts all be found together. That just doesn’t make sense!
It seems plausible that he did make this completely up seeing as how he was an “amateur”, although it does make one wonder how many other times in history this might have happened, recently or not.
I never understood why people felt the urge to mess with others. What a waste of resources! — DAVID WARDLE
Wow. He knew exactly what he was doing and basically pretended to discover another link between man and ape. That’s crazy.
I think it was because back then they didn’t have the technology we have today that helps determine if something is real or not and because of that it was hard not to believe if it was real.
Back then they didn’t have the knowledge or technology that we do today to prove any of there myths. That’s why so many people thought it to be true
That seems like an awful lot of work to go through knowing that eventually the scientific community would have to figure it out. Perhaps he was blinded by his hope of making a historical break through.
this articles makes you think that if a finding such as the “missing link” was faked, how many other historical findings may have been faked that we have not discovered were fake yet
If these were a hoax, what if evolution as a whole could be proven to be fake. Could you imagine the chaos. I personally do not believe in it myself. It is up for you to decide though…
Hoaxes like this are the reason why all scientific discoveries need to be examined by numerous scientists to check the validity of the discoveries. If many scientists had investigated the remains at first, it would have been unlikely that none of them would have noticed the problems with the bones presented.
Gotta love a good hoax. No matter how long the hoax’ last, it will always be proven false.
It’s pretty ridiculous that this was a hoax and it contributes to the large number of people who are uneducated about evolution. I find it pretty cool how even in a history class, there is still a biological and scientific element. I like how in this course we continue to analyze events and the beginnings of man (not necessarily from a staunch genetic perspective) from a scientific point of view while also trying to be as historically accurate as possible. These kinds of hoaxes remind me of totalitarian dictators or maybe even radical extremists who subscribe to certain religious or political ideologies that try to re write history to try and fit their narrative. This is why it is important not only to look at historical and scientific data from multiple different perspectives, but to understand that perceptions change over time with vast amounts of knew knowledge at our fingertips.
*new haha my bad
I think he knew exactly what he was up too and even though this was a hoax, really gets your mind going to question evolution. I think it’s selfish to not believe in evolution even though there are a lot of proof of it ! then again everyone is fitted to their own to opinions
Darwin seemed to have had a plan and it backfired. It is such a shame he set us back a few years.
This article really interested me because of the outline on the theory of evolution and how it explains it to be a hoax. Its always nice to see peoples point of view and try to understand it more. It mixed a lot of historical details with science and as a science major, it was very cool to think about.
Pretty crazy how long this hoax lasted. Seems like more people should have been on the case to test the validity.
I personally believe that Dawson had recognized the phony fossils as true in order to get himself recognition for the discovery. Who is to say that this is only the first account however, what if there are more out there that people have not been curious about until this happened.
It’s a good thing this was discovered as a hoax, or the evolutionary timeline as we know it could be entirely incorrect! This does, however, make me wonder about the validity of some other findings…
Because the researchers were so distracted by this hoax at the time it makes me wonder what has been just cast aside instead of actually being examined.
Dawson most likely knew the fossils were phony but with the pressure building on trying to find a connection between ape and man i think he found the easiest solution and knew that not many would question his knowledge so he rolled with it.
I have not previously heard of this hoax, nor do I believe that a scientist would rather take the fault of being a liar, as well as being always on the brink of a new discovery. It seems Dawson would surely not risk his credibility on something that could be so easily figured out.
Even if this was a hoax or not, imagine how many other things we mistaken throughout history.
I do not know whether to think Dawson knew the skull was a hoax or not. Surely, the news was going to get out eventually, and I do not think he would have risked his reputation for it. Then again, he was intelligent would be capable of finding ways to make it seem as realistic as possible. I think it’s quite interesting how this had gone on for so long without anyone noticing, and makes me wonder if anything else is really what it seems.
I can’t believe people, especially scientists, believed this theory for so long. If it was truly analyzed in depth and if there was a lot of research done on the skull, it seems ridiculous that it could have gone on for that long. It just goes to show that we can’t automatically assume everything that is presented to us is true, especially when dealing with the scientific world.
I think the answer to the question of “why do this?” is one to consider. Odds are, this was the result of a few people trying to either make their faulty mark on history (whether they desired notoriety or riches I am not sure), but that does beg the question how many other faulty historical discoveries have been made by people trying to do the exact same thing?
I wonder if Dawson knew that the bones he found were not really fossils that supported evolution. How would he know any better than to believe that with few technological advances at the time that would help him to prove or disprove it.
I think that Dawson probably knew the bones he found were not fossils but since it helped his theory he went with it
I did not know that there was fraud associated with evolutionary findings. It is interesting that someone would want to try to influence past history in this way.
Making a discovery like that would be groundbreaking. At that time scientists probably wanted to believe in the possibility of “the missing link.” It is amazing that this missing link was factual for 40 years.
It’s definitely weird that these bones and fossils were all different ages, especially that the orangutan bones were 500 years old!
I think Dawson probably knew and created this false combination in order to get his name out there for one of the greatest discoveries. He gave scientists exactly what they were looking for and that is probably why he was not questioned until much later.
I think that this is not
the only hoax in history and there are probably many more findings that are not
real and maybe we are not aware of it. Definitely makes we wonder about the authenticity
of things in history
I certainly agree because there are most likely many misunderstood historical events.
This really makes you think about what else may have been hoax because when fossils and such were being found 100’s of years ago they didn’t have the technology we have to do tests and comparisons so what else could be a hoax?
I have often wondered how we can tell our fossils, and historic information are authentic. I know that some research can be difficult and very long and I wonder if scientists and archeologist think they can get away with a hoax and take the glory of success. I think this is important to note when learning and or researching history you must have a high ethical standard. Otherwise it could hinder true historical research.
Interesting how it took so long for it to be realized that it was a hoax. They most likely didnt have the technology to study it more in-depth and therefore it took longer to realize the hoax. It does make me wonder though, if there could be more like this out there. I also wondered how we can tell how old something is or what it is, or even the fossils being authentic. It is hard to imagine what the fossils came from back then, so how can one be certain as to what it is? We should have an ethical standard as to what you are discovering and reporting, make sure it is true before you say you have found something.
It seemed that Dawson was eager to make one of the greatest discoveries in archaeologist history. It’s unfortunate that we will never know whether or not he made the hoax on purpose or not. However, it is suspicious that he happened to find this same species fossil twice.
This article is interesting. I believe Dawson came up with this hoax to gain fame and credibility for that “missing link” they were searching for back then. I really wonder what Dawson’s reaction would be if he was alive whenever they found it to be a hoax.
40 years is a pretty long time for a hoax to go undetected. It makes me interested in other potential hoaxes in history.
Some things we believe today as facts could one day be debunked myths too. The big bang is just a theory, and later on, maybe not even in our lifetimes, it could be proven wrong by some breakthrough in physics.
Probably because the man wanted fame. Would be pretty cool to have an organism named after you..
I’m sure there have been plenty of people who have claimed they’ve found the missing link between man and ape. Sometimes I feel I could be the missing link …
I wouldn’t be surprised if this is another hoax. People try to publish stuff like this all the time
I think this guy just wanted fame. Why would he just now come out with this after 40 years?
I think that Dawson probably came up with it himself, but I give him credit for making it seem so real. He wanted to go down in history and he seemed to have just not in the way he probably wanted.
i think fame was set in stone in his mind but he made it seem pretty real
that must be a really good hoax for it to be believed by the scientific community for 40 years.
Much like the work of crypto-zoologist in the study of big-foot and the chupacabra, versus actual experts in the zoology field, the “amature” in Dawasons title as an archeologist says it all.
I think this was a good hoax for lasting 40 years until finally people found out it was fake. Also says top 10 in hoaxes. I suppose people will believe anything like this if you show them old bones and teeth they have not seen before.
I give this guy credit for being able to convince these people for 40 years. He obviously made some good assumptions to have them believe him for so long.
It’s interesting to think that maybe the great Darwin was the hoaxer in this situation. Also, this makes you think what else could have been a hoax in the science world…
Rr
It’s cool to think that a scheme like that was done. It was very nice to do but still amusing.
It’s crazy to think that a Hoax
It’s crazy to think that a hoax that big happened, it makes me think that there could possibly be many More of th we don’t know about
It’s astounding how easy it seems to be to trick people for the longest time by just presenting details that seem relevant to back up their argument. I guess it just goes to show, if people think they know what they’re looking at, they won’t look too closely.
It is odd to realize that hoaxes like these actually do happen and it is sad because it does distract the scientific community from spending their time finding out real evidence of what happened in the “missing link” of ape and men.
I’ve always thought that we humans evolved from apes. Even before I understood what evolution actually meant. This was definitely a setback for scientists in the search for the link between man and ape, but I believe that the proof is out there just waiting to be revealed.
It goes to show that mistakes can be easily made. I do wonder if this hoax happened on purpose. But if you really think about it, how could skull and jaw bones that were randomly found be the connection between ape and man?
Hmmm. I wonder why they even thought that a bunch of random bones could be the missing link between ape and man. Maybe Dawson got a little carried away with his findings. I doubt anyone would have just put bones there for him to find. Could have been an honest mistake, but I guess we will never know.
I am not really sure if I am convinced this is the missing link, but I feel we may discover soon enough through research.
KS
A hoax like this is terrible for the scientific community. Not only does it hinder the progress of science, but it very negatively influences your credibly
This case is interesting because it illuminates that even science is not totally objective (as we would often like to think that it is). Scientists have biases (like anyone else), and they want to find conformation for their theories. Perhaps this could have been why Dawson was possibly easily taken by the false fossils.
Were the second set of bones a hoax too?
I feel as if the guy who discovered these bones made up the hoax to increase his popularity in the field of science to further his other work, a sort of self marketing.
Not knowing anything about Dawson, I cannot speculate as to whether or not he intentionally fooled the scientific community. I do think it is a good sign that the truth was eventually uncovered as scientists continue to analyze fossils.
And that is how the side shows at the circus started!
I often wonder how many “discoveries” may actually not be true but are still believed to be true because the knowledge was passed down from generation to generation as “fact”.
I always wondered how one could find out if we truly did evolve from apes and if so how did we come about knowing this. This article helped me realize that scientist compare bones and skulls of what they think are apes to humans to see the changes that have come over time. Although Dawson’s discovery turned out to be a hoax it helped me understand how one describes the theory of evolution.
I never knew how back in the day scientist could figure out what type of skull they were looking at. Through reading this article I have come to realize that scientist weren’t even sure. I think it is crazy that it took so long for people to figure out that the whole missing link was a fraud and that people still have the idea that we evolved from apes. I find it shocking that it took that long to figure out his finding were completely wrong.
This makes me wonder if there are any other misleading discoveries out there!
Really makes you think about how many other scientific theories we believe that may not actually be true. I understand that new scientific studies are made all the time, but to be that far off is rather unfortunate.
It kind of makes you question a lot of theories and how many misleading discoveries could be out there and no one knows it.
This article was interesting to me because it makes me sit back and wonder what else could be false information. People are always discovering new things, who knows if its all true or not. You cannot believe everything you hear.
I find it irritating that people go out of their way to set up these hoaxes , like i want facts and everyone wants to know the truth, not making a joke out of the people who are trying to figure this all out ! Too bad it wasn’t real but maybe someday they will find the missing link.
It’s horrendous how far people will go just to fool the rest of the world. Cases like this cause me to wonder if any other information we have could possibly be a hoax as well.
It is terrible that these hoax’s go on but not surprising that people lie about so many things.
It’s a good thing those scientists back then didn’t just accept what they were told was true and left it alone.
Its terrible that this was a hoax.
It’s a shame what people are willing to do just to make a name for themselves.
I think it it awful that this was hoax and I wish we could know if Charles Dawson was in on the fraud. But, I am happy that new techniques will prevent this from happening again.
I’m not sure what’s more impressive, that someone got away with the hoax that long, or that it took that long to figure out it was a hoax.
Can’t believe this was a hoax. The bright side is you learn from your mistakes and it’ll be harder to create a hoax like this in the future.
It is insane that a hoax was able to last this long without anyone figuring it out. It’s kinda sad it ended up not being real but we can take positives such as techniques to prevent this from happening again.
It was surprising how long this hoax went on before being discovered. It really makes you think about how easy it could be for historical evidence to be altered through time.
I don’t think he could have known it was a hoax
Since this was all a hoax, how much else of history could have been a hoax as well?
It just goes to show, how does anyone know what actually happened if they weren’t there?
I feel bad for the researchers who spent their lives believing this hoax and trying to build upon it. I’m glad we are discovering ways to prevent this type of fraud in the future.
A case like this should be recognized to prevent future hoaxes from happening. This is an example of how long people can be wrong about a certain event or discovery before it gets noticed.
Luckily with modern science it is a lot easier to date and determine when and where things are from, and what they really are, but it also shows that people can be fooled.
What a bad day to find out that you worked your whole life on a hoax skull and teeth. Welp! Science will get it right one day
it entirely must suck for your whole lifes work to go down the drain finding out it was all a hoax
Why would someone that? I believe there would have been several involved.
I wish there was a way to know if dawson knew it was a hoax or not. However it is disturbing to find people trying to meddle and disrupt archeological and science study like that. Luckily technology is better these days to help stop a lot of hoaxes!
I am actually incredibly shocked that another scientist did not review Dawson’s work more carefully. Perhaps all of this could have been avoided.
It sucks that we were set back by a stupid hoax that hopefully couldn’t even happen today. 🙁
Medical and scientific falsehoods were very common in these days. Mainly as a way to scam money or to recover from being scammed themselves.
The entire idea of the hoax is intriguing, I wonder, how could an amateur archaeologist pull off such a hoax in this time period.
Scientific hoaxes are frustrating and just put us back. Hopefully something of this magnitude does not happen again.
It’s really surprising that no one doubled checked his worked to make sure it was all legitimate.
From the wording in the article, it sounds like the Geological Society of London did not even question Dawson, but rather just listened to a man that sounded like he knew what he was saying. Very surprising to me.
I wonder if this hoax was just an accident waiting to happen. But we will never know.
How did no one look into this further?? They should have at least questioned Dawson.