Them Bones

Before Tony Soprano and before Orson Wells landed Martians there, New Jersey was famous for something more in the realm of hard science. In 1858 an amateur fossil hunter unearthed the most complete prehistoric skeleton at the time in rural Haddonfield, NJ. That fossil, Hadrosaurus foulkii, then became the first mounted dinosaur displayed to the public thanks to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.

Of course, today hundreds of skeletons are exhibited around the world to the amazement and wonder of millions of children and adults. But imagine what a spectacle such an exhibit must have been to the people in 1868 (when the fossil was revealed). Sea monsters and dragons were still considered more fact than myth and science was largely the province of the wealthy and well-bred. Probably the only contemporary comparison would be if the skeleton of E.T. was put on display.

Visit the Academy's web site for more on Hadrosaurus foulkii and the current exhibit in commemoration of its discovery 150 years ago.