Mary Anning.
Written By: Martina Egli
Marie Curie, Marie Antoinette, Maria Montessori, Mary Phelps Jacob, Mary Wollstonecraft… Mary Anning. Not only do they bear the same name, but these remarkable women helped to shape the world we live in.
I just wanted to dedicate a few lines today to Mary Anning, often referred to as the greatest fossil hunter that ever lived. Without her, our understanding of the natural world and our own place in the history of our planet would not be the same. Born into poverty over 200 Years ago on the Dorset coast, into a male dominated world, she had her work cut out for her.
However her skill in finding fossils and in their preparation led her to some of the most important geological finds of all time.
Significant finds included the first two Plesiosaur skeletons ever found. One of which you can admire on the photograph above!
“The beginning is always today.” Mary Wollstonecraft
In truth she was never really accepted into the male dominated scientific community of her time, but she nonetheless made a huge difference to the field of palaeontology.
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