This trial saw schoolteacher, John T Scopes, 24, convicted of breaking Tennessee's law against the teaching of evolution in public schools. The jury took only a few minutes to reach its verdict, on this day.

But it had all been a show trial, a gambit by townsfolk in Dayton to gain interest from reporters and the outside world. Scopes had even agreed to being prosecuted. The worst that he had done, in fact, was use a state approved textbook which had a chapter on evolution in it. It isn't even clear if he had ever actually taught evolution to his students.

The Evolution vs Creation debate excited the interest of topnotch defense lawyer, Clarence Darrow, who came to town to debate with the pro-Creationist, William Jennings Bryan, who counted the Tennessee anti-evolution law as one of his successes. Radio stations carried the exchanges live, and a loudspeaker system played to the crowd outside.

Darrow called Bryan as a witness and proceeded to pummel him mercilessly on the literal interpretation of the bible.

Scopes was fined $100 (withdrawn on a technicality).