CA-K738History

Davidson Black and “Peking Man”

Davidson Black, photogravure (Wellcome Collection). Davidson Black. Photogravure. Wellcome V0026054 · Photogravure; Wellcome Collection, V0026054 · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY 4.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.

Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

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Davidson Black, born and educated in Toronto, turned from medicine to the study of fossil humans and took a post at Peking Union Medical College after the First World War. In 1927, from a fossil tooth found at Zhoukoudian, he described fossil material under the name Sinanthropus pekinensis, the “Peking Man”, a find later confirmed by excavations with Chinese and European scientists.

Scope & context

Black as described in his designation.

Sources behind this record

Davidson Black National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada (Directory of Federal Heritage Designations)

Importance; plaque text