Scopes on Trial: Evolution vs. Religion in 1925
Tennessee authorities charged high school teacher John T. Scopes with violating the Butler Act by teaching human evolution on May 5, 1925. The ACLU had placed a newspaper advertisement seeking a volunteer to test the law. Scopes, a 24-year-old football coach and substitute biology teacher, agreed to be arrested. The resulting trial in Dayton, Tennessee, attracted global attention as Clarence Darrow defended Scopes against prosecution by three-time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan. Darrow put Bryan on the stand as an expert on the Bible and demolished his literal interpretation of Genesis. Scopes was convicted and fined $100, later overturned on a technicality. Bryan died five days after the verdict. The Butler Act was not repealed until 1967.
May 5, 1925
101 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 5
The emperor wasn't even there. Justinian I called 165 bishops to Constantinople to settle a theological fight that had been splitting Christians for a century—b…
Rebel barons formally renounced their allegiance to King John, declaring open war against the English crown. This bold act of defiance forced the King to negoti…
Kublai Khan won the Mongol throne by defeating his younger brother Ariq Böke in a four-year civil war that killed tens of thousands of their own people. The emp…
Christopher Columbus waded ashore at Discovery Bay, claiming the island of Jamaica for the Spanish Crown during his second voyage. This arrival initiated over a…
Christopher Columbus sighted the Jamaican coastline during his second voyage, claiming the island for the Spanish crown upon landing at Discovery Bay. This arri…
The invasion fleet sailed past Okinawa's coral reefs with three thousand samurai who'd never fought a naval campaign before. Shimazu Tadatsune wanted China trad…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.