Scopes Trial Fun Facts

Evolution law mothballed: Although no other teacher was ever prosecuted for teaching evolution in Tennessee, the Butler Act would stay on the books for 42 years, only being repealed in 1967.

Fiction rather than history: Inherit the Wind is a parable that fictionalizes the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial as a means to discuss McCarthyism and censorship in 1950s America.Very little of the play or film is historically accurate. For a historically accurate rendition of the trial, come watch Destiny in Dayton, a stage play performed in the original Scopes Trial courtroom. For more information, visit Scopes100.com.