Today is the 215th anniversary of the birth of the great British paleontologist Mary Anning, whose contribution to science was so great that the Royal Society named her as one of the ten British women who have most influenced the history of science.

Anning’s contribution to science was based on the fossils she collected in and around Lyme Regis and was either overlooked during her lifetime or acknowledgement for her discoveries were simply stolen by others.  She should be much more famous than she is.

Recently Karen Joy Fowler wrote a wonderful piece about Anning , “The Science of Herself“, which I recommend strongly.