On 30th July 1841, British anatomist and palaeontologist Richard Owen delivered a landmark lecture at Devonport Guildhall during the British Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Plymouth
The research he presented there formed the basis of his report published the following year, in which he introduced the term “Dinosauria” for the first time, forever changing the study of prehistoric life.
Before Owen introduced the name Dinosauria, large fossil bones were often misunderstood. Many people believed they belonged to dragons, giants or other mythical creatures, while scientists had not yet recognised them as belonging to a distinct group of prehistoric animals. Owen’s work brought these remarkable fossils together under a single scientific name for the first time.
Photographs © Wayne Perry / Plymouth Post