In 1812 at
Lyme Regis, on the
Dorset coast a child aged eleven, twelve or thirteen, depending on which
source you use, found a
fossil. Her name was
Mary Anning. This was a
badass 17
feet long sea monster fossil. It is now know as the
ichthyosaurus. She spent the next thirty-five years gathering fossils, without the aid of
quality tools or training, and selling them on to visitors.
Due to this shell selling she is commonly held to be the source for a famous tongue twister. One that sahib! has added to Everything2 in the original node of this thread : 'She sells sea shells on the sea shore'.
Source:
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson