1884-1960

American naturalist and explorer who led a series of expeditions to Mongolia in the 1920s and discovered the first known dinosaur eggs. With the backing of the American Museum of Natural History and several New York businessmen (including J.P. Morgan), Andrews mounted the Central Asiatic Expedition, with the goal of proving that Central Asia—Mongolia in particular—was the cradle of mammalian and thus human evolution. The expedition lasted from 1921 until 1930. They discovered fossil mammals and dinosaurs, including the first known dinosaur eggs, but were unable to find any human fossils. He retired in the 1940s and died at home in California in 1960. Andrews may have been the inspiration for the fictional character of Indiana Jones.