A flat tire led to the discovery of the world's most famous T. rex

Nature · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In 1990, a paleontologist named Sue Hendrickson was exploring South Dakota cliffs while her team repaired a truck. She stumbled upon bone fragments that turned out to be one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever found, sparking a decade of legal battles and a record-breaking museum auction.

The discovery of the fossil, now known as Sue, occurred on August 12, 1990, on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation. Susan Hendrickson, an archaeologist and paleontologist, noticed bones protruding from a cliff face while the Black Hills Institute crew was delayed by a vehicle repair. The specimen, dated to approximately 67 million years ago, was remarkably preserved, with about 90 percent of its bulk recovered. This level of completeness is rare, as most T. rex skeletons are missing more than half their bones.

Following the excavation, the fossil became the center of a complex custody dispute. The landowner, Maurice Williams, had initially accepted $5,000 from Peter Larson of the Black Hills Institute for excavation rights. However, Williams later contested the agreement, and because his land was held in trust by the federal government, the U.S. Department of the Interior became involved. In 1992, federal agents seized the bones, and a U.S. district court eventually ruled in 1993 that the fossil remained property of the trust, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court in 1994.

Once legal ownership was settled in favor of Williams, the Bureau of Indian Affairs permitted a public auction. In October 1997, the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago purchased the skeleton for $8,362,500, supported by partners including McDonald’s and Walt Disney World. The fossil has been on permanent display since May 17, 2000. Because the original skull weighs 272 kilograms, it is displayed separately on a balcony, while a lighter, life-size cast is mounted to the main skeleton to ensure structural stability.

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