Josiah Whitney

Events

1

Episodes

3

Years

1866–1869

Every event in Historedia whose sources name Josiah Whitney, with the role they cite and all of that event’s episodes. This is not a biography, and mentions are grouped by name, so two people with the same name can share this page.

Events and episodes

1. Discovery of the Calaveras Skull and its exposure as a hoax

   1866–1869

   Role: State Geologist of California

   1. 11866-02-25 · Calaveras County, CaliforniaDiscovery Claim

      Miners claimed to find a human skull beneath lava in a mine in Calaveras County, California.

   2. 21866-07-16 · California Academy of SciencesWhitney Announcement

      Josiah Whitney announced the skull as evidence of Pliocene man in North America.

   3. 31869 · CaliforniaHoax Exposure

      Reports revealed the skull was a planted practical joke, not an authentic find.

Sources

1. Calaveras Skull Wikipedia, revision of 2026-01-08