December 18, 1912

On This Date in TWISTED-HISTORY.com! in 1912, the discovery of the partial skull fragments of the Piltdown Man in East Sussex was announced. This controversial discovery was declared by many in the scientific community to be the missing link between apes and humans. It was later proved to be a hoax in 1953 when scientists finally proved that the Piltdown skull was a human cranium that had been forcibly merged with an orangutan’s jawbone. Many believe that Arthur Conan Doyle may have had a hand in this hoax. To the disappointment of many, the Piltdown Man’s fraudulent claims also cast doubts on the authenticity of the Piltdown Woman, the Piltdown English Bulldog, the Piltdown Wooly Mammoth, and the Piltdown Unicorn. The Piltdown Hairy Trollop is still seen on occasion on Half-Price Thursdays at the Piltdown Pub on Second Street.

About Joel Byers

Born in North Georgia and educated at some very fine public institutions. Real education started after graduating from college and then getting married and raising two boys. Has the ability to see the funny and absurd in most things and will always remark on it, even if it means getting the stink-eye from his victims.
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