In 1980, three independent research teams published peer-reviewed papers proposing that an extraterrestrial impact triggered the extinction of the dinosaurs. The evidence pointed to devastation on both land and in the oceans, massive die-offs across multiple ecosystems. The fingerprints of impact were unmistakable: iridium layers, shocked quartz, spherules distributed globally. But the smoking gun, the actual crater, remained hidden. Between 1980 and the early 1990s, a succession of clues began to emerge. Geologists pieced together fragments of evidence scattered across continents, each discovery narrowing the search. The story of how science tracked down the Chicxulub crater is a masterclass in forensic geology, patience, and the power of converging lines of evidence.