Stuff You Missed in History Class New Year’s Eve Iguanodon Party
Dec 31, 2025
Imagine dining inside a life-sized iguanodon! In 1853, a lavish New Year’s Eve dinner took place at the Crystal Palace, showcasing Victorian opulence and dinosaur fascination. Attendees enjoyed an eight-course meal amidst dramatic prehistoric sculptures, while Richard Owen honored Gideon Mantell with a toast. The podcast highlights the challenges of creating these iconic sculptures, including construction delays and changing dinosaur science. It’s a quirky blend of history, dining, and the once-controversial legacy of paleontology.
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Hawkins: Artist Turned Prehistoric Sculptor
- Waterhouse Hawkins was a natural history artist with credentials in the Linnaean and Geological societies.
- He had illustrated major works, exhibited at the Royal Academy, and assisted on the Great Exhibition before making the dinosaur models.
Victorian 'Dinosaurs' Were Mixed Menagerie
- The Crystal Palace 'dinosaurs' included many non‑dinosaur extinct animals and reflected mid‑19th century paleontology.
- Only three true dinosaurs were scientifically described then, shaping public perception and Owen's coinage of Dinosauria.
Two Competing Iguanodons
- Hawkins made two competing Iguanodon versions reflecting scientific debate: one sprawling like a giant lizard and one upright on four columnar legs.
- Both versions incorrectly featured a nasal 'horn' later identified as a thumb spike.