Piltdown timeline
Geologists' Association party visiting the pit at Piltdown, Sussex, on 12 July 1913
In 1912, the scene was set for Piltdown. The theory of evolution was still relatively new and not everyone wanted to believe that humans were descended from apes. Ancient fossils of early humans were being discovered in Europe and further afield.
Discover the sequence of events leading up to the revelation of one of the most audacious scientific frauds ever committed.
Before Piltdown
| 1856 | The first fossils recognised as Neanderthal are discovered in Germany. |
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| 1858 | Darwin and Wallace's paper on natural selection is presented to the Linnean Society. |
| 1859 | Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species. |
| 1864 | Smith Woodward and Dawson are born within 8 months of each other. |
| 1871 | Darwin publishes The Descent of Man, his book on human evolution. |
| 1891 | The first Homo erectus fossil, known as Java Man, is found in Java, Indonesia. |
| 1907 | The first Homo heidelbergensis fossil is discovered near Heidelberg, Germany. |
Piltdown
| 1908 | The first fragment of Piltdown Man's skull is found, or so Dawson claimed. |
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| 1911 | Dawson finds more skull fragments along with other fossilised teeth and stone tools. |
| 1912 | February 14: Dawson writes to Smith Woodward about the skull fragments. |
| 1912 | May 24: Dawson visits Smith Woodward and shows him skull fragments and other fossils from Piltdown. |
| 1912 | June 2: Dawson, Smith Woodward and Teilhard de Chardin start digging at Piltdown and find another piece of skull. |
| 1912 | Summer: Piltdown Man's jawbone with molar teeth is discovered. |
| 1912 | November 21: The Guardian runs a story on the finds at Piltdown. |
| 1912 | December 18: Smith Woodward announces Piltdown Man at a meeting of the Geological Society in London. |
| 1913 | August 30: Teilhard de Chardin finds the canine tooth. |
| 1914 | The elephant fossil tool, known as the cricket bat is found. |
| 1915 | Dawson says he's found more fossils at a nearby site to Piltdown. |
| 1916 | August 10: Dawson dies of septicaemia, aged 52. |
After Piltdown
Across the world, fossil discoveries contradict the Piltdown evidence, instead suggesting that jaws and teeth became human-like before the evolution of a large brain.
| 1944 | September 2: Smith Woodward dies shortly after dictating his book, The Earliest Englishman, to his wife. |
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| 1949 | Kenneth Oakley runs flourine tests that reveal the Piltdown fossils are more like 50,000 than 500,000 years old. |
| 1953 | Joseph Weiner and Wilfrid Le Gros Clark join Oakley and discover the skull and jawbone come from entirely different species. |
| 1953 | November 21: The Natural History Museum announces Piltdown Man is a hoax. |
