Skip to main content

The timeline can be navigated with the “Scroll Left” and “Scroll Right” buttons or by dragging the pointer to a date on the timeline waveform (located at the bottom of the screen on the desktop version and on the left of the screen on mobile). To filter by a particular topic and see a smaller section of the data, make a selection on the dropdown “Filters” menu or click “Search” to do a keyword search. Hover over the abbreviated filter tags in the blue boxes to see the complete name of the filter, or click a filter to display all the data with this tag. If you want to take a deeper dive into a specific topic by viewing a narrative essay page and a curated timeline, click on “Stories.”

Read More
Two figures holding a lantern up to a dug up grave in a cemetery. One man is pulling a coffin out with string.
Grave robbers would use rope to remove and empty coffins.

First law against grave robbing is enacted in the American colonies.

1655

MED
LLP
Grave robbers would use rope to remove and empty coffins.

Passed in the colony of Rhode Island, the law indicates that grave robbing may already be undertaken by physicians seeking human bodies to dissect for medical education during this period.