In 2015 the discovery of meningeal (dural) lymphatics was announced to much fanfare. The journal Science named this the second most important discovery of the year! Yet, they had actually been well described two and a quarter centuries earlier, in Italy, England and Holland. However, there was controversy about their existence because of the difficulties in studying them, also addressed two and a quarter centuries earlier. Their study had generated a very large literature and they were "textbook" knowledge. The reasons for this neglect are discussed emphasizing the current scientific milieu and the changing modes of evaluating scientists.