Full Name: Davidson Black
Profession: Paleoanthropologist
Biography: Davidson Black was a Canadian paleoanthropologist noted for his work in the early 20th century on the evolutionary origins of humans. His substantial contributions to the field include the discovery and naming of the Peking Man fossil (Homo erectus pekinensis), a landmark achievement that significantly advanced the understanding of human evolution.
After earning his medical degree from the University of Toronto, Black embarked on a career that blended his interests in medicine and evolutionary biology. His early work at Western Reserve University and later at the Royal College of Surgeons in London cultivated his interest in comparative anatomy and paleoanthropology.
Black's career reached its pinnacle when he was invited by the Rockefeller Foundation to lead an archaeological dig at Zhoukoudian near Beijing, China, in the late 1920s. His discovery of fossilized teeth and a skullcap confirmed the presence of hominids in East Asia, and further excavations at the site revealed a substantial number of Homo erectus fossils, which Black named Peking Man.
Born: July 25, 1884
Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Leo
Died: March 15, 1934 (aged 49)
Cause of Death: Heart failure
Historical Events
- 1927-12-02 Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black announces to the Geological Society of China that ancient human fossils from Zhoukoudian, China are a new species which he names 'Sinanthropus Pekinensis' (Peking Man), now known as Homo Erectus
- 1928-02-03 Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black reports his findings on the ancient human fossils found at Zhoukoudian, China in the journal Nature and declares them to be a new species he names 'Sinanthropus pekinensis' (now known as 'Homo erectus')
Henry Schoolcraft
Mary Leakey
Raymond Dart
Louis Leakey