Historedia
Episode 1 of 3

Description of the Feather

When
1861
Where
Bavaria
Part of
First description of Archaeopteryx based on a feather

Hermann von Meyer described a single feather found in Bavaria, potentially unearthed in 1860 or 1861.

The feather was described in 1861 by Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer. Some authors consider it more likely to have been found in 1861, as his original letter was likely sent shortly after possession. The identity of the feather has been controversial.

Sources

  1. Archaeopteryx Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-05
  2. Specimens of Archaeopteryx Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-15

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.