August 12

On August 12, 1883, the last recorded quagga—a unique equine once native to South Africa—died at the Natura Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam. Recognizable by its zebra-like front stripes fading into a brown hindquarters, the quagga had been heavily hunted and displaced by agricultural expansion. Its extinction highlighted the devastating impact of human activity on wildlife long before modern conservation efforts took hold. Specimens of the quagga remained in museums, and in the late 20th century, the Quagga Project in South Africa began selective breeding to recreate its distinctive pattern. The quagga's demise serves as an early warning in the history of biodiversity loss, underscoring the importance of habitat protection and sustainable practices.

On August 12, 1990, amateur fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson discovered the remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The specimen, later named 'Sue' in her honor, is the largest and most complete T. rex skeleton ever recovered, with over 90% of its bones intact. Excavation of the 67-million-year-old fossil took nearly two years of careful digging and stabilization. 'Sue' measures more than 12 meters in length and has provided unprecedented insights into the anatomy and growth patterns of the species. The discovery sparked scientific debates over ownership and sale of fossils, leading to a high-profile auction in 1997. 'Sue' now resides at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, where it remains one of the museum’s most popular exhibits. This landmark find revolutionized public interest in paleontology and deepened our understanding of the Late Cretaceous period.