Evolution of antagonism

The clash between Cope and Marsh quickly developed beyond a war of words

The backstabbing begins

Marsh bribes the New Jersey marl pit managers Cope usually works with to send their future fossil finds to him at Yale instead.

Frontier prospecting

Both men go west to dig for fossils. Believing he has the greater claim because he arrived first, Marsh hires spies to track Cope’s movements in Wyoming.

Scientific snipping

Marsh and Cope attack each other’s findings in scientific journals, quibbling findings and questioning who discovered species first.

Trench warfare

The professors’ teams in Wyoming and Colorado openly fight one another as well as destroy unwanted fossils to keep them out of rival hands.

Public scandal

When Congress investigate the US Geological Survey, Cope recruits employees to testify against Marsh and also went to the newspapers. The public quarrel lost both men credibility.

Extinction event

Even in death, Cope refused accept defeat. He donated his body to science on the condition that the size of his brain is compared to Marsh’s. Marsh declined.