John T. Scopes, the man who caused all the fuss It started out as a publicity stunt designed to bring tourists to the small town of Dayton, Tennessee. By the time it was over, it had brought together three of the most famous men in the world, killed one of them, and left ripples that we still feel today. While the event we note today is the 85th anniversary of schoolteacher John T. Scopes being arrested for teaching evolution, the events that prompted that arrest go back to 1922, when the Tennessee legislature passed the Butler Act, which prohibited any teacher in a public school from teaching "any theory that denies the Story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." The law had been written by a Tennessee farmer, who had "read in the papers that boys and girls were coming home from school and telling their fathers and mothers that the Bible was all nonsense." The law, which had a fatal flaw (the state's required biology text had a chapter about evolution) sat unchallenged for three years, while the American Civil Liberties Union hunted for a teacher willing to challenge the law, even announcing its willingness to pay for the trial and any fines (the penalty was $100). There were no takers. Finally, in 1925, a group of Dayton businessmen were sitting around Robinson's Drugstore, trying to come up with a scheme to draw tourists to their town of 1,800. Someone mentioned the Butler Act, and before Scopes knew it, he had agreed to become the sacrificial lamb (or perhaps, "ape"). On May 5th, Scopes was "arrested" and all hell broke loose. The local fathers, hoping to secure maximum publicity for the trial, contacted such notables as novelist H.G. Wells (who declined, stating that he wasn't a lawyer). The prosecution countered with William Jennings Bryan, the three-time presidential candidate who was America's most respected public figure. Spurred by Bryan's presence, Clarence Darrow, the country's most famous defense attorney and defender of civil liberties, agreed to head Scopes' defense. Drawn by not only the spectacle of those two giants going head-to-head in the courtroom, but by the circus that developed around the trial, H.L. Mencken, the reporter who was one of the country's sharpest social commentators, came to report on the doings -- along with hundred of other reporters, an unprecedented national radio hookup, newsreel photographers, trained chimpanzees, and tens of thousands of spectators. The trial finally began on July 10 and things went badly for the defense. Witnesses were not allowed to testify and Darrow fought with the judge -- dodging more than one contempt citation. Finally, in a desperate stroke of genius, Darrow put Bryan himself on the stand -- or, rather, under the tree, since the judge moved matters outside to accommodate both the huge crowds and in an attempt to beat the stifling heat. Darrow cut him to ribbons, challenging his opponent's literal belief in the Good Book, and generally making a monkey of him. Bryan died five days after the trial, possibly the victim of his exertions. It was all for naught, though. The jury, deliberating only nine minutes, found Scopes guilty, and the judge fined him $100. That verdict was overturned on a technicality, but the law remained (unenforced) on the books until 1967. Even though no one else was every prosecuted under the Butler Act, its effects are felt today in controversies over Creationism, and the curricula proposed by the Kansas and Texas Boards of Education. And, for all the spectacle the trial provided, that kind of carnival atmosphere could never happen today... right? Suggested Sites... Tennessee vs. John Scopes - from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Full of facts, biographies, photos, transcripts, and more. "Inherit the Wind" - examines how the play and movies based on the trial have adapted the facts. Clarence Seward Darrow - summarizes many of Darrow's famous trials. Wikipedia: William Jennings Bryan - biography of Bryan, "The Great Commoner." American Experience: Monkey Trial - PBS site with background on 1925's "Trial of the Century."

Directory categories: Scopes Monkey Trial, Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan, Evolution, Creation vs. Evolution

Archived under: 1920s, American History, Anniversaries, Apes, Biology, Clarence Darrow, Creationism, Education, Evolution, Law, Legal Cases, Primates, Religion, Science, Society and Culture, William Jennings Bryan

Post a comment (0) | Email this posting

Darwin ape If history does indeed repeat itself, then today we should be on the lookout for groundbreaking news in the study of evolution. Why? Well, it was on this day in 1859 that Charles Darwin published the revolutionary "On the Origin of Species," and 115 years later, Donald Johanson and Tom Gray discovered the Lucy skeleton at Hadar, Ethiopia. "On the Origin of Species" detailed the processes of natural selection and adaptive radiation. Though the work never explicitly claimed we were descended from apes, Darwin was nonetheless attacked for that proposition. Even today, he's still a polarizing figure, as creationists try to refute what biologists and the scientific community defend -- that man evolved over time from ancient hominid ancestors. The debate continues with no likely end in sight. So did Lucy's discovery lend a hand to Darwin and his proponents? Most certainly. The discovery of this 40%-complete skeleton of Australopithecus afarensis offered fossil evidence of a potential human ancestor that walked upright 3,000,000 years ago. Furthermore, this evidence was supported by Mary Leakey's amazing find of footprints from Lucy's time at Laetoli. While it may seem that debate over scientific theory is one best left to the experts, average Americans haven't been deterred from taking it to the streets. Nothing short of a silent evolutionary war is being waged on the backsides of automobiles. From the Jesus fish to the Darwin fish to the truth-eats-Darwin fish and beyond, this once-binary argument has given birth to unforeseen allegiances and a unique forum for debate. With such a contentious topic at hand, it seems as though it may be risky to make a call for one side or the other. However, based on the historical significance of this day in history, the 24th of November is going to have to be called in favor of the evolutionists. So go have a banana and go for a walk, you bipedal hominids of today! Suggested Sites... Literature.org: The Origin of Species - read Darwin's legendary work firsthand. The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online - when "On the Origin of Species" just isn't enough. BBC: The Evolution of Man - browse articles discussing the story of human evolution. The Darwin Awards - for those less interested in science and more interested in the idiocies of others.

Directory categories: Charles Darwin, Evolution, Creation vs. Evolution, Australopithecus Afarensis

Archived under: Anniversaries, Archaeology, Biology, Charles Darwin, Creationism, Evolution, Nature, Primates, Science, Scientists

Post a comment (2) | Email this posting

(From the cover of the book Kanzi's Primal Language) If there's one thing we pride ourselves on around these parts, it's that we don't ignore the obscure or pass over little-known date factoids. For a change of pace, though, we here at The Spark would like to point out a rather meaningful matter today: October 28th is Kanzi the bonobo's 28th birthday. Kanzi is one of the most-renowned great apes in the world. Under the tutelage of Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, Kanzi has a perfect understanding of human speech and a personal vocabulary upwards of 500 words -- comparable to a human toddler's comprehension skills. Since non-human primates lack the physiological components in their throats to make speech, Kanzi cannot speak using vocal sounds himself, but shows his cognitive grasp of the vernacular through the use of visual aids. Primate language consists of sign language, speech comprehension, or the use of lexigrams to represent words, symbols, or objects. Kanzi uses photographs, three-dimensional items, or lexigrams on cards or monitors as his representations for spoken words. Kanzi's gorilla contemporary Koko (who turned 37 in July) uses American Sign Language to communicate to her homo sapiens relatives at the Gorilla Foundation.Thanks to her Internet chat in 1998, or KokoTV, Koko remains the most famous of these many primates learning languages. (Although let us stress that communication isn't limited to primates; Alex the African grey parrot had a vocabulary of 100 words and basic math skills, before dying at the age of 31.) But today on the 28th, we give a hearty salute to you, Kanzi, for staying on-task and giving us further insights into our own human evolution and cognitive development. Suggested Sites... Great Ape Trust of Iowa - home to Kanzi, providing sanctuary and studying intelligence in great apes. The Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute - at Central Washington University. Gorilla Foundation Art Benefit & Silent Auction - November 18, 2008, in San Francisco, California. American Sign Language - from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Directory categories: Bonobos, Chimpanzees, Gorillas, Human Evolution

Archived under: Animals, Apes, Birthdays, Communication, Languages, Nature, Primates, Science

Post a comment (0) | Email this posting