UChicago Trivia: A half dozen University of Chicago professors and alumni (including the defendant himself) were major players in which pivotal trial?

Answer:

b) The Scopes Monkey Trial

One hundred years ago, on July 10, 1925, the trial of John T. Scopes began. He was accused of violating a Tennessee law by teaching the theory of evolution in his classroom. The outcome of this case shaped the future of public education. Nearly forgotten is the role of a half dozen University of Chicago professors and alumni, experts in religion, biology, geology, anthropology, and education—including the defendant himself, John Thomas Scopes, EX’31.

Soon after taking the case, defense counsel Clarence Darrow rang up Fay-Cooper Cole, an anthropology professor at UChicago. “I suppose you have been reading the papers, so you know Bryan and his outfit are prosecuting that young fellow Scopes,” Cole recalled him saying. “Well, [a few of us] have put ourselves in a mess by offering to defend. … We need the help of you fellows at the University, so I am asking three of you to come to my office to help lay plans.” Later that day, Darrow met with Cole; Horatio Hackett Newman, PhD 1905, a zoology professor; and Shailer Mathews, dean of the Divinity School, to outline the strategy for the trial.

This trivia question was adapted from this UChicago Magazine story.