In 1856, quarriers working a cave in Germany's Neander Valley discovered several mysterious fossils.
The remains changed hands until being identified as the skull cap and femur bones of something ancient and human, but not quite us.
It soon became clear they belonged to an extinct human species, the first ever known to science, Homo neanderthalensis, or simply Neanderthals.
Not long before the discovery, many believed the world was only about 6,000 years old.
However, by the mid-1800s, naturalists were more comfortable with geological timelines and evolutionary theory.
The idea that ancient remains could belong to another human species was finally becoming conceivable, but misconceptions persisted, and much Neander-slander ensued.
Early on, Neanderthals were depicted as dim-witted oafs who died out because of their inferiority to modern humans, AKA Homo sapiens.
One popular illustration suggested that in addition to being hairy and club-carrying, Neanderthals stooped and had ape-like opposable toes, even though this wasn't reflected in skeletal findings.
Over the next century, however, archaeologists discovered more hominin species, as well as the remains of over 300 Neanderthal individuals.
Compared to modern humans, Neanderthals had larger, deeper-set eyes, were shorter and more muscular, had higher caloric needs, with slightly bigger bodies, including their hearts and brains.
