Happy Scopes Day!
Lots of people are probably "celebrating" Cinco de Mayo today; many of them aren't Mexican, of course, but it's still a good day for Dos Equuis and Cuervo.
Still, a less commemorated event also has its anniversary today. It's the 81st anniversary of the arrest of John Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee for the crime of teaching evolutionary theory in a school. The trial, in which Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (a fine that was paid by the ACLU), ultimately marked a turning point in science education, even though evolutionary theory (or at least a crude version of it that wasn't quite in keeping with the best evidence at the time) had been present in textbooks starting in the late 19th century,
Those who would like to learn more about both the truths and mythology of the Scopes Trial would do well to read over this page from the Journal of Religion and Society.
Still, a less commemorated event also has its anniversary today. It's the 81st anniversary of the arrest of John Scopes in Dayton, Tennessee for the crime of teaching evolutionary theory in a school. The trial, in which Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (a fine that was paid by the ACLU), ultimately marked a turning point in science education, even though evolutionary theory (or at least a crude version of it that wasn't quite in keeping with the best evidence at the time) had been present in textbooks starting in the late 19th century,
Those who would like to learn more about both the truths and mythology of the Scopes Trial would do well to read over this page from the Journal of Religion and Society.