1996

July: Spectators at a hydroplane race discover a skull along the edge of the Columbia River near Kennewick, Washington.

August: Called in as a consultant by the local coroner's office, Dr. James Chatters initially suggests the skull and a nearly complete skeleton are those of a 19th-century European settler. But subsequent radiocarbon dating shows the remains are 9,000 years old.

September: The remains, now known as Kennewick Man, are transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers, which declares the remains Native American due to their age. Citing U.S. law and the bones' discovery on federal land, the Army Corps determines the bones should be turned over to the closest affiliated modern tribe and prohibits further scientific testing. The Army Corps plans to return the remains to a coalition of five tribes who claim Kennewick Man as an ancestor: the Umatilla, Nez Perce, Yakama, Colville and Wanapum.

October: Eight scientists, including two Smithsonian researchers, file suit against the Army Corps in federal district court to gain access to Kennewick Man for further study. They argue the government has not proven the remains are related to modern American Indians. The scientists eventually win an injunction delaying return of the remains indefinitely.