Mary Anning

21 May 1799 – 9 March 1847

Mary Anning was an English fossil collector and palaeontologist who made important discoveries in the Jurassic marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast. Her finds, including the first correctly identified ichthyosaur and plesiosaur skeletons, contributed significantly to the emerging understanding of prehistoric life and the history of the Earth.

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Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Mary Anning.

Life events

Born in Lyme Regis, Dorset
21 May 1799

Mary Anning was born into a poor family of Dissenters in the coastal town of Lyme Regis.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Birth ✓
Survived a lightning strike as an infant
19 August 1800

According to accounts, she survived a lightning strike that killed three others when she was about a year old.

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Death of her father Richard Anning
1810

Her father, a cabinetmaker who collected fossils, died, leaving the family in debt and reliant on fossil sales.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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First ichthyosaur skeleton identified
1811 – 1812

Together with her brother Joseph, she uncovered a complete ichthyosaur skeleton that drew scientific attention.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Discovered the first plesiosaur skeleton
10 December 1823

She found the first complete Plesiosaurus skeleton, a discovery that astonished the scientific community.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Discovered a pterosaur fossil
1828

She found the first pterosaur skeleton located outside Germany, later named Dimorphodon.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Granted an annuity by the British Association
1838

In recognition of her contributions to geology, she received a small annuity raised by members of the scientific community.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died of breast cancer in Lyme Regis
9 March 1847

Mary Anning died at the age of 47.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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