First mounted dinosaur skeleton (Hadrosaurus) at the Academy

In 1868 the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia unveiled what is widely regarded as the first mounted dinosaur skeleton on public display, a reconstruction based on Hadrosaurus foulkii bones discovered in Haddonfield, New Jersey. The species was described by Joseph Leidy in 1858 and the mounted display was produced under his supervision by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins. The exhibit attracted national attention and is considered a milestone in the development of public paleontology and museum displays. The Academy continues to curate the historic Hadrosaurus material within its paleontology collections.