Spectacular debates surrounding significant fossil discoveries accompanied the search for our origins. Who were the first humans? After the answer to this question was long associated with the creation story, new debates ignited in the mid-19th century. Discoveries of human fossils led to disputes about the origin of humanity. The contentious issue was not only whether the first humans were Germans, English, Europeans, or Asians, whether they were black or white. It was about the essence of humanity. Bones from Neanderthal, Java, or South Africa continue to serve as a projection surface for understanding the human self. Accordingly, the international scientific and public debates were intense until the idea of a common African origin prevailed in the 1950s. Ellinor Schweighöfer addresses this using examples of spectacular finds.