BRoWn, BaRnUM (1873–1963) Dinosaur Fossil collector amedafterthegreatshowmanP.T.Barnum,indefatigabledinosaurdiggerBarnum Brownassembledhisownversionof“The Greatest Showon Earth”:aparadeofgiant n dinosaurfossilswrenchedfromthecliffsandarroyosoftheAmericanWest.Brown’s -lastingcontribution—hundredsoftonsofdinosaurfossils—formedthenucleusoftheAmeri .canMuseumofnaturalHistory’sworld-famouscollection during the 1960s, Brown, nearly 90, could still be seen leading visitors around the crammeddinosaurhalls,announcing,“Here’sanotheroneofmychildren,”ashepointed outthebonesofasauriangiant.Butwhenhebeganhiscareerin1897,themuseumhad .notasingledinosaur AsachildinCarbondale, Kansas,Browncollectedfossilsfromfreshlyplowedfields.He -attendedtheUniversityof Kansas,thenmovedto New YorkCity,wherehestudiedpaleontol ogyatColumbiaUniversityandbeganworkingatthemuseumwhilehewasstillagraduate student. Forhisfirstfieldassignment,themuseum’sdirector,HenryFairfield Osborn,sentBrown BONE hUNTER barnum brown, when almost ninety, toComoBluff,Wyoming,toprospectitsrichJurassicdeposits.Brownandhiscolleagues supervised construction of discoverednewbedscontainingenormousquantitiesoffossils,includingtheApatosaurus .sinclair oil’s lifesize dino- (thencalled Brontosaurus)thatstilldominatesoneofthemuseum’shugedinosaurhalls saur models, shown below However, yale paleontologist othniel C. Marsh was furious about his former sites being being barged down the hud- .workedandbeganabitterfeudwithosbornthatlastedtotheendofhislife son river to the 1964 new york World’s fair. duringtheearlyyearsofthe20thcentury,BrowndugupfossilsallovertheWest. Oneof ,hisgreatestdiscoveries,thefirsteverandanearlycompleteskeletonofTyrannosaurus rex wasblastedoutoftonsofsandstonenearHellCreek,Montana,in1902.Thefossilswere .thenhauledbyhorse-drawnwagontothenearestrailroad130milesaway Ashisexploitsbecameknown,Brownbecamenationallyfamousas“Mr.Bones.”Crowds -wouldmeethistrainandoffertohelphimfindancientmonstersneartheirtown. Nowaceleb .rity,Browndressedinexpensive,fashionableoutfitswhileexploringremote,dust-blownsites In1909,Brownledanexpeditionalongthe Red Deer RiverinAlberta,Canada.Theparty ,navigateddownriveronalargeraftandfoundfossildepositsgalore.“Boxafterbox,”hewrote wasaddedtothecollectiontillscarcelyacubit’sspaceremainedunoccupiedonboardour“ ”.fossilark -overthenextdecades,hesearchedforfossilsandprospectedforoilinIndia, SouthAmer ica, Ethiopia,andthe Greekislands.Brown’ssecondwife, Lilian,chronicledheradventures ­accompanyinghimonfieldtripsinsuchbooksasBring ’Em Back Petrified(1956)and I Mar ,ried a Dinosaur(1950).Whenshefirstdecidedtojoinherbone-huntinghusbandinthefield thefamilymaidexpressedgraveconcern.“Afterall,”shewarned,“whoknowswhatthebeasts ”?diedof oneofBrown’smostfamousdiscoverieswasthe“greatdinosaurgraveyard”attheHowe ranch,nearthebaseoftheBighornMountainsinMontana.Aftersomepreliminarywork BROWn,BARNUM 56 BARNUm BROWn (left) with the reconstructed giant crocodile he named Pseudo suchus sinclairii, af- ter his sponsor, oil magnate harry sinclair. beside it is a modern croc skull. in1933,heconvincedthe Sinclair OilCompanytoputupthemoneyformajorexcavations crowds would atthesite.Theteam’seffortssoonpaidoffwhentheyuncoveredavastbonedeposit—in meet the train (Brown’swords,“averitableherdofdinosaurs.”Morethan4,000bones(about20dinosaurs ”packedin144cratesweighing69,000poundswereshippedtonewyork. when “Mr. Bones sinclair Oil,whichuseda“brontosaur”asitscompanylogo,garneredawindfallofpub- arrived in dusty licityfromthepublic’sinterestinBrown’sdigs. Duringthe1930sand1940s,thecompany Western towns to gavefreedinosaurstampsandbookletsatitsservicestations,apromotioncreatedand supervisedby“Mr.Bones”himself. help them round Inadditiontobeingtheworld’sgreatestfossilhunterandawell-paidconsultanttothe up their ancient .oilindustry,Brownhadaclandestinecareerasaspyforthegovernment—astorythatwas monsters ,suppresseduntil40yearsafterhisdeath.Heworkedforthe Officeof Strategic Services -precursoroftheCIA,whichreliedonhisintelligenceabouttheAegeanIslandsasback groundforplanningAlliedinvasionroutesduringWorldWarII. Duringthe1940s,inbetween .fossil-huntingexpeditions,heassistedtheBureauofeconomicWarfare -In1956,whenhewas83,Brownexploredasiteat Lewiston,Montana,wherehediscov eredandexcavatedaplesiosaurskeleton.Twoyearslaterheusedahelicoptertoprospect theIsleofWight,wherefossilsaboundedinthesteepseacliffs.Afterspottingskeletons fromtheair,heplannedtostraphimselfintoabosun’schairandexcavatewhiledangling .abovetheenglishChannel -Whileplanningthisexpedition,hewasapproachedbyhisoldsponsor,the Sinclair Refin ingCompany,tosupervisetheconstructionoflife-sizedinosaurmodelsforthe1964 New yorkWorld’sFair.TheyweretobebuiltinthetownofHudson,northof New YorkCity,and transportedtothefairviatheHudson River. Delightedatbeingoffereda“newjob”attheage of89,BrownlookedforwardtostartlingManhattaniteswiththebizarresightofabargefulof .dinosaursfloatingdowntheHudsonriver Brownsupervisedthedinosaurs’constructionbutneverdidwitnesstheirjourneytothe fair.HediedinFebruary1963,justaweekshortofhis90thbirthday,andwasburiedbeside -hisfirstwife,Marion.When Liliandiedsomeyearslater,accordingtohisdaughter’smem oirs,she“wasburiedontheothersideofBarnum,whoundoubtedlywouldhavehadagood ”.chuckleoverbeingsandwichedbetweenhistwowives seealsoBIrd,rolAndT.;fantasia;osBorn,Henry fairFIeld;sInClAIrdInosaur BROWn,BARNUM 57 BRYAN, WILLIaM JENNInGs (1860–1925) antievolutionist crusader uringhislifetime,politicianandgreatoratorWilliamJenningsBryanwonfameasa -progressivereformerwithastrongsocialconscience. SecretaryofstateunderWood drowWilson,hehadbeenthe Democraticnomineeforpresidentthreetimes.Bryan campaigned vigorously for women’s suffrage, justice for the working poor, and curbs on corporategreed.Hewasalsothearchitectoflegislationprohibitingteachingevolutioninthe .schools,thusleavingalegacyofcontinuinglegalbattles60yearsafterhisdeath Bryanhasbeenvilifiedasanignoramusandademagoguewhopanderedtouneducated -taxpayers have a bigotsinthebackwatersoftheUnited States.Moviesandplayshaveportrayedhimflail“ right to say what ingandrantingasClarence Darrow’sadversaryinthecelebrated Scopes“MonkeyTrial”of whichwasnothisfinesthour.JournalistH. L.Menckendepictedhimasareligious,1925 -shall be taught. fanatic,obstructingintellectualprogresswithamulishlystubbornbeliefintheliteralinter .the hand that writes pretationoftheBible -the check rules the Infact,Bryanhadnotalwaysopposedevolutionaryideas,andhadarrivedathisreaction arypositionwiththebestofintentionsforAmerica’swelfare.Convincedthatthe Darwinian school.” theory,asmanyatthetimeunderstoodit,was“amercilesslawbywhichthestrongcrowd William Jennings bryan outandkillofftheweak,”Bryanpreferredtobelieve“thatloveratherthanhatredisthelaw— ofdevelopment.”Healsothoughtthat“classprideandthepowerofwealth”wereusing darwinismtojustifyexploitingthepoor,justas Europeankingshadonceusedthedoctrine .ofdivineright -Andhisfearswerejustified.IndustrialgiantslikeJohn D. RockefellerandAndrewCar negiedidindeedadopt Social Darwinistviewsaboutbeing“thefittest,”theirruthlessness justifiedaspartofagreatlawofnature.Thatthiswasamisreadingofevolutionarytheory occurredneithertoBryannortheindustrialists,sinceitwasalsotaughtbymanybiology .professorsoftheirday ,FLAG-dRAPED RELIGION Inaddition,the Darwinianbannerwasbeingcarriedbymilitaristsand,inBryan’swords was William Jennings bryan’s “wasatthebasisofthatdamnabledoctrinethatmightmakesrightthathadspreadover specialty. he was known as germany.”HeknewthatduringWorldWarI, Germanintellectualsbelievednaturalselection “the Great Populist” for his advocacy of overdue wasirresistiblyall-powerful(Allmacht),alawofnatureimpellingthemtobloodystruggle social reforms. for domination. Their political and military textbooks promoted darwin’s theories as the scientific”basisofaquestforworldconquest,withthefullbackingof German“ .scientistsandprofessorsofbiology -Bryanalsoperceivedanotherevilresultingfromtheinterpretationof Dar winismbytheintellectualsofhisday:anill-conceivedfaithineugenicsasthe ,waveofthefuture.Itwouldparalyzethehopeofsocialreform,Bryanrealized as“itsonlyprogramformanisscientificbreeding,asystemunderwhichafew supposedlysuperiorintellects,self-appointed,woulddirectthematingandthe ”!movementsofthemassofmankind—animpossiblesystem Forthesecompellingreasons,as StephenJay GouldpointedoutinBully for Brontosaurus(1992),Bryansaw Darwinismasamany-facetedevil,quiteapart fromitsconflictwithbiblicalaccountsofcreation.