South African World Cup Starts Today

As the world cup starts today, we take a look at prehistoric animal fossils associated with the host nation.  Everything Dinosaur examines South African fossils.

Thirty-two countries competing for the football World Cup in South Africa.  This event which will last from today until the final match on Sunday July 11th, is regarded as being the biggest sporting event on the planet, even bigger than the Olympic Games.  Sixty-four games in total in what will be a footballing feast (Come on – England)!

The Rainbow Nation has come a long way in the last few years, we wish them a peaceful, happy and successful tournament.  Nobel Peace laureate and former Archbishop of Cape Town, Desmond Tutu addressed an excited crowd at an eve of kick-off celebration yesterday.  He said that he was in dreamland as his beloved South Africa prepares to host the World Cup.

Speaking at the concert, which took place in Soweto, the 78-year-old former Archbishop, the man accredited with first using the term “Rainbow Nation” welcomed all the visitors, fans, players and officials reminding them that every person on the planet, if they traced their ancestors far back enough, would discover they were actually on home soil.

He said:

“Africa is the cradle of humanity so we welcome you all, every single one of you.  We are all Africans.”

South African Fossils

Africa is the cradle of humanity, based on the fossil evidence found to date, it does seem that hominids evolved in Africa, the ancestors of our species originated from that continent and analysis of DNA from living humans around the world shows that we all have a remarkable degree of genetic similarity.  South Africa has come a long way since apartheid, humanity has come a long way too.  The Italian philosopher, Lucilio Vanini was burned alive in 1619 for suggesting that humans originated from apes.

Darwin in his ground breaking and revolutionary book “On the Origin of Species”, dared not state what his research had led him to conclude.  He merely commentated that “light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history”.

Let us hope that the tournament lives up to expectations, may the best team win in what is the first World Cup finals to be played on the African continent – the cradle of humanity.

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