On 10 July 1925, the famous ‘Monkey Trial’ started in Dayton, Tennessee, as science teacher, John Thomas Scopes, went on trial accused of teaching the theory of evolution in high school.
The trial was one of the legal sensations of the 20th Century, and attracted national and global attention. Indeed, even Hollywood was interested, with the trial acting as a muse for the film, ‘Inherit the Wind’.
The verdict was returned on 21 July 1925.
We won’t spoil the story by telling you what happened at the end!
You can read all about the twists and turns of the trial in the Archive – just do a search for ‘Scopes’, then use the date filtering tools to select the period, 10 to 21 July 1925.
Western Daily Press – Saturday 11 July 1925
Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000264/19250711/009/0004
