Alan Jack Charig (July 1, 1927 - July 15, 1997) was an English palaeontologist and writer who popularised his subject on television and in books at the start of the wave of interest in dinosaurs in the 1970s. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ...

Charig was, though, first and foremost a research scientist in the Department of Palaeontology at the Natural History Museum, London. There he worked on dinosaurs and their immediate Triassic ancestors, but also studied creatures as varied as limbless amphisbaenians (worm-lizards) and a Fijian gastropod, Thatcheria. The physicist Albert Einstein is probably historys most famous scientist. ... The Natural History Museum from the south east The Natural History Museum, one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum), is home to life and earth science collections comprising some 70 million items. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and the largest city of England (strangely, England has no constitutional existence within the United Kingdom, and therefore cannot be said to have a capital). ... Orders Saurischia    Sauropodomorpha    Theropoda Ornithischia Dinosaurs are giant reptiles that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for most of their 165-million year existence. ... The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 to 200 Ma (million years ago). ...

Biography

Charig was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School and Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge. His university education was interrupted by National Service in the Royal Armoured Corps, first as a tank driver and, after volunteering for an Inter-Services Russian language course at Cambridge, as a Russian interpreter in Germany, from 1946 to 1948. The School Badge The Haberdashers Askes Boys School is a British independent school in Elstree, near Borehamwood, in Hertfordshire. ... Full name Emmanuel College Motto - Named after Immanuel Previous names - Established 1584 Sister College(s) Exeter College Master The Lord Wilson of Dinton Location Regent Street Undergraduates 494 Postgraduates 98 Homepage Boatclub Emmanuel front court and the Wren chapel Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge... The University of Cambridge, located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... National Service is a common name for compulsory or voluntary military service programs. ... The Royal Armoured Corps (RAC) is currently a collection of ten regular regiments, mostly converted from old horse cavalry regiments, and four Yeomanry regiments of the Territorial Army. ... Russian (Russian: ,  ) is the most widely spoken language of Eurasia and the most widespread of the Slavonic languages. ... Shown within Cambridgeshire Geography Status: City (1951) Region: East of England Admin. ... It has been suggested that Interpreter (communication) be merged into this article or section. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

On graduating in Zoology in 1951, Charig took a doctorate at Cambridge, supervised by the late F R Parrington. His subject was Triassic archosaurs of Tanganyika. Zoology is the biological discipline which involves the study of non-human animals. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... Shown within Cambridgeshire Geography Status: City (1951) Region: East of England Admin. ... The Triassic is a geologic period that extends from about 251 to 200 Ma (million years ago). ... Groups Pterosauria Crocodylia (crocodiles) Dinosauria    Aves (birds) Archosaurs (Greek for ruling reptiles) are a group of diapsid reptiles that first appeared during the late Permian (roughly 250 million years ago). ... Flag of Tanganyika Tanganyika was an East African republic within the Commonwealth of Nations, named after Lake Tanganyika, which formed its western border. ...

After a short spell as Lecturer in Zoology in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), in 1957 Charig took up a post in Invertebrate Palaeontology at the Natural History Museum. He remained at the museum for the rest of his career, becoming Curator of Fossil Reptiles and Birds in 1961, and Principal Scientific Officer in 1964. Gold Coast may refer to: // Gold Coast (British colony), British colony on the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa Brandenburger Gold Coast, former German colony Danish Gold Coast, former Danish colony Dutch Gold Coast, former Dutch colony Portuguese Gold Coast, former Portuguese colony Swedish Gold Coast, former Swedish colony Gold... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ... Orders  Crocodilia - Crocodilians scary crocodiles. ... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

Life at the museum suited Charig well. He enjoyed meeting the public, especially children, and was an entertaining lecturer.

He wrote and presented a 10-part series on vertebrate palaeontology, Before the Ark (1974) on BBC television, and wrote the accompanying book. His second semi-popular book, A New Look at the Dinosaurs (1979), had an even greater impact and was translated into several languages. The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ...

Charig also planned exhibitions, notably in the museum's Fossil Mammal Gallery between 1970 and 1988. He retained his fluency in Russian from his Army days and gave classes in conversational Russian for his colleagues. Exhibition is a word with several meanings. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Despite long periods of poor health, Charig made many original scholarly contributions to dinosaur science, including an hypothesis to explain the unusual pelvic structure in plant-eating dinosaurs, which he referred to informally as "the femur-knocking-on-the-pubis problem". Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ...

In the mid-1980s, he found himself defending the museum's most famous fossil, the earliest known bird, Archaeopteryx, the authenticity of which was challenged by Sir Fred Hoyle. Charig responded with a characteristically robust refutation. Orders Many - see section below. ... Binomial name Archaeopteryx lithographica Meyer, 1861 Synonyms see text Archaeopteryx (pronounced )(Greek archaio = ancient + pteryx = wing)), from the Late Jurassic of Germany, is the earliest and most primitive known bird. ... Sir Fred Hoyle (June 24, 1915 – August 20, 2001) was a British astronomer, notable for a number of his theories that run counter to current astronomical opinion, and a writer of science fiction, including a number of books co-authored by his son Geoffrey Hoyle. ...

Charig loved travel; he climbed mountains in Peru and visited Timbuktu in a Morris Minor. He led museum expeditions to Zambia and Tanzania in 1963, to Lesotho in 1966 (discovering the oldest articulated fossil mammal skeleton in Early Jurassic rocks), and in 1978 to the Early Cretaceous of Queensland (turning up one of the earliest herrings). The city of Timbuktu ( Archaic English: Timbuctoo, Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu, French: Tombouctou) is a city in Mali, West Africa. ... The revolutionary Morris Minor was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show on 20 September 1948, and attracted immediate attention. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... A human skeleton - (endoskeleton) In biology, the skeleton (from Greek σκελετός, dried-up) or skeletal system is the biological system providing physical support in living organisms. ... Lower Jurassic (also known as Lias) is the earliest of three epochs of the Jurassic period. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... The Early Cretaceous (timestratigraphic name) or the Lower Cretaceous (logstratigraphic name), is the earlier of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous period. ... Emblems: Faunal - Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus); Floral - Cooktown orchid (Dendrobium bigibbum); Bird - Brolga (Grus rubicunda); Aquatic - Barrier Reef Anemonefish (Amphiprion akindynos); Gem - Sapphire; Colour - Maroon Motto: Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Const. ... Herrings is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ...

A British Council scheme afforded a privileged visit to China, in 1979. It proved the forerunner of a joint field expedition to Sichuan in 1982 by the museum and the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology, Beijing. The British Council is a partly UK Government-funded cultural relations organisation and a registered charity in the United Kingdom. ... For the Smashing Pumpkins song, see 1979 (song). ... (Chinese: 四川; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ssu-ch`uan; Postal Pinyin: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in central-western China with its capital at Chengdu. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Beijing [English Pronunciation] (Chinese: 北京 [Chinese Pronunciation]; Pinyin: Běijīng; IPA: ), a metropolis in northern China, is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ...

This trip was the most fascinating of his many foreign experiences. However, the next year, a rather less exotic location - a brick-pit near Ockley, in Surrey, England - provided Charig with the most exciting research project of his career. He discovered Baryonyx walkeri, a remarkable fish-eating dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period. Surrey is a county in southern England, part of the South East England region and one of the Home Counties. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ... Binomial name Baryonyx walkeri Chraig & Milner, 1987 Baryonyx (heavy claw) is a large, carnivorous dinosaur discovered in clay pits just south of Dorking, England. ... The Early Cretaceous (timestratigraphic name) or the Lower Cretaceous (logstratigraphic name), is the earlier of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous period. ...

After his retirement in 1987, Charig continued his research work at the Natural History Museum. At this period he also took up a two-month research fellowship awarded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. In 1995, he went on an arduous tour of fossil sites throughout Argentina. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An ammonite fossil Eocene fossil fish of the genus Knightia Petrified wood fossil formed through permineralization. ...

His final scientific publication, a monograph on the Surrey dinosaur Baryonyx, of which he was the senior author, was published at the end of June 1997. At the time of his death, two weeks later, Charig was working on several long-standing projects, notably the description of one of the earliest plant-eating dinosaurs, Scelidosaurus, from Dorset, England. Scientific literature is the totality of publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the sciences and social sciences. ... A monograph is a scholarly book or a treatise on a single subject or a group of related subjects. ... Surrey is a county in southern England, part of the South East England region and one of the Home Counties. ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... Binomial name Baryonyx walkeri Charig & Milner, 1986 Baryonyx // meaning heavy claw, referring to its large claw (Greek barus meaning heavy and onyx meaning claw or nail) was a carnivorous dinosaur discovered in clay pits just south of Dorking, England, and northern Spain. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Scelidosaurus (meaning limb lizard) was a heavily plated, plant-eating dinosaur. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dÉ”.sÉ™t], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2005 est. ...

Alan Charig's wife, Marianne Charig, died in 1987. They had three children, Nicola Norton, a dentist, Mark Charig, a radiologist and Francis Charig, the Chief Executive of Tao Group and seven grandchildren, Matthew, Richard and Charlie Norton, Sarah, Anna, Jack and Robert Charig. // Tao Group is a software company headquartered in Reading, Berkshire, UK. Branch offices of Tao Group are located in Japan and USA with resellers in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. ...