Ancient people likely stumbled upon mysterious rock bones that inspired tales of mythical creatures, especially dragons. But it wasn't until the 1800s that fossil hunters were able to estimate the age of the specimens. The prevailing belief in Europe was that the world was a few thousand years old... Geologists said that it was a few billion. (An analogy would be going from a normal tennis court to one that stretched from the North Pole to the South Pole with a net at the Equator.)
The discoveries were confusing and unnerving. (Does humanity have a special place in the grand scheme of life?) Though they were also curious and mind-blowing. (Eons of an unfamiliar prehistoric drama played out without us as an audience.) Oddball animals such as narwhals, kangaroos, platypuses, and gorillas exist today. Who knows what exotic life existed in the past?
Our species has been dethroned. Our purpose and fate are unknown. Dinosaurs crashed the dinner party. They are extinct, yet their popularity continues to grow.