Timeline 1908: Dawson claims discovery of first Piltdown fragments. 1912 February: Dawson contacts Woodward about first skull fragments. 1912 June: Dawson, Woodward, and Teilhard de Chardin form digging team. 1912 June: Team finds elephant molar, skull fragment. 1912 June: Right parietal skull bones and the jaw bone discovered. 1912 November: News breaks in the popular press. 1912 December: Official presentation of Piltdown Man. 1913: David Waterston concludes that the sample is an ape mandible and a human skull. 1914: Talgai Skull (Australia) found, and considered (at the time) to confirm Piltdown. 1915: Marcellin Boule concludes that the sample is an ape mandible and a human skull. Gerrit Smith Miller concludes the jaw is from a fossil ape. 1916 August: Dawson dies. 1923: Franz Weidenreich reports the remains consist of a modern human cranium and orangutan jaw with filed-down teeth. 1925: Edmonds reports Piltdown geology error. Report ignored. 1943: Fluorine content test is first proposed. 1948: The Earliest Englishman by Woodward is published (posthumously). 1949: Fluorine content test establishes Piltdown Man as relatively recent. 1953: Weiner, Le Gros Clark, and Oakley expose the hoax. 2003: Full extent of Charles Dawson's career in forgeries is exposed. 2016: Study reveals method of Dawson's forgery.
Timeline 1908 Dawson claims discovery of first Piltdown fragments 1912 February Dawson contacts Woodward about first skull fragments 1912 June Dawson Woodward and Teilhard de Chardin form digging team 1912 June Team finds elephant molar skull fragment 1912 June Right parietal skull bones and the jaw bone discovered 1912 November News breaks in the popular press 1912 December Official presentation of Piltdown Man 1913 David Waterston concludes that the sample is an ape mandible and a human skull 1914 Talgai Skull (Australia) found and considered (at the time) to confirm Piltdown 1915 Marcellin Boule concludes that the sample is an ape mandible and a human skull Gerrit Smith Miller concludes the jaw is from a fossil ape 1916 August Dawson dies 1923 Franz Weidenreich reports the remains consist of a modern human cranium and orangutan jaw with filed-down teeth 1925 Edmonds reports Piltdown geology error Report ignored 1943 Fluorine content test is first proposed 1948 The Earliest Englishman by Woodward is published (posthumously) 1949 Fluorine content test establishes Piltdown Man as relatively recent 1953 Weiner Le Gros Clark and Oakley expose the hoax 2003 Full extent of Charles Dawson's career in forgeries is exposed 2016 Study reveals method of Dawson's forgery