What's the deal with this meteor strike/dinosaur extinction connection?

[Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker]

Specifically, how long has that been posited? I was under the impression that the Alvarez theory from 1980 was the first time it made the mainstream. The “Straight Dope” column is from 1976. Did Cecil scoop the Alvarezes?

[Darwin_s_Finch]

Obligatory link: What are the chances of a huge meteor smashing us flat?

The Alverezes weren’t the first to propose the impact hypothesis of dinosaur extinction, as it happens. It was first proposed (in the literature, anyway) by M. W. de Laubenfels in his 1956(!) paper Dinosaur extinction: one more hypothesis (which appeared in the Journal of Paleontology). Below is a quote from that paper:

Attention is called to the great destruction that resulted from a meteorite impact in Siberia in 1908. A larger impact would cause more widespread destruction. Several larger impacts may have occurred in geologic time. The survivals and extinctions at the close of the Cretaceous are such as might be expected to result from intensely hot winds such as would be generated by extra large meteoric or planetesimal impacts. It is suggested that, when the various hypotheses as to dinosaur extinction are being considered, this one be added to the others.

This was, of course, purely speculative at the time. The Alverezes provided evidence that just such an impact did occur, at just the right time to account for the mass extinction.

[scotandrsn]

Check out a great book called “Night comes to the Cretaceous”, which shows how great strides were made in the acceptance of the meteor/extinction idea, given that they found a crater that is more or less a perfect candidate.