Homo Erectus was first discovered in 1891 by Eugene Dubois. Dr. Dubois, a Dutch anatomist, found a cranium and thighbone while digging in Trinil, Java. He named this new species Pithecanthropus erectus, though no one was initially sure if these bones belonged to a human or even to the same animal. The skull appeared smaller than a modern human skull, though the thighbone was nearly the same. The hypothesis of an entirely different species was confirmed in the 1930's with a similar find by G.H. von Koenigswald in Java and the discovery of the "Peking Man" in China by Davidson Black. Excavations during the 1950's uncovered H. Erectus fossils in east Africa dating to 1.6 to 1.2 million years ago.

Compared to earlier hominids, H. Erectus has a larger brain capacity, reduced size of face and cheek teeth, and thicker cranial bones though the bones of the limbs show little change.

H. Erectus, which is believed to have lived about 1.6 million years ago to around 400,000 years ago, is the first hominid widely distributed throughout the Old World.

Information provided by: http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu