Mary Anning (1799–1847) was a British fossil collector, dealer and palaeontologist who became known around the world for important finds she made in the Jurassic marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis where she lived. Her work contributed to fundamental changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the history of the earth. Her discoveries included the first ichthyosaur skeleton to be correctly identified, found when she was just twelve years old; the first two plesiosaur skeletons ever found; the first pterosaur skeleton located outside Germany; and important fish fossils. Her observations were critical to the discovery that coprolites were fossilised faeces. Her gender and social class prevented her from fully participating in the scientific community of 19th-century Britain and she struggled financially for much of her life. As a woman she was not eligible to join the Geological Society of London, and she did not always receive full credit for her scientific contributions. After her death her unusual life story attracted increasing interest. In 2010 the Royal Society included Anning in a list of the ten British women who have most influenced the history of science.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Anning

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1856:

A crowd of about 800 pro-slavery Americans ransacked the town of Lawrence, Kansas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacking_of_Lawrence

1904:

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international sport governing body of association football, was founded in Paris. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIFA

1927:

Aboard the Spirit of St. Louis, American aviator Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight, flying from Roosevelt Field near New York City to Paris – Le Bourget Airport. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh

1981:

The Italian government released the membership list of Propaganda Due, an illegal pseudo-Masonic lodge that had been implicated in numerous Italian crimes and mysteries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_Due

1996:

Algerian Civil War: The remains of seven French Trappist monks who had been kidnapped in Algeria nearly two months earlier were found. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_the_monks_of_Tibhirine

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

cloudburst: A sudden heavy rainstorm. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cloudburst

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Trust not your self; but your Defects to know, Make use of ev'ry Friend — and ev'ry Foe. --Alexander Pope https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alexander_Pope