Hybrids, when not in the annals of science fiction, are not very intimidating things. We get often-infertile animals like the mule and wholphin from two similar species producing viable offspring. However, there is an interesting realm where few have dared to tread -- human hybridization. This is very intimidating for many. In fact, some are outright enraged at the idea. No matter where you stand on the matter, the truth is that a human and chimpanzee has been hypothesized and the science adds up quite enough that it is not unreasonable to assume it could happen.
In the first half of the 20th century, a Russian scientist named Ilya Ivonavich Ivanov was a successful zoologist. He wasn't just sitting around his lab thinking up insane ways to freak people out. He developed a method of artificial insemination for livestock. His main focuses were to create sturdy hybrids and save endangered species. We do not remember him for that. We remember him for trying to make a human/chimpanzee hybrid.
It seems the first known mention of Ivanov's interest in this "field" came in 1910, when he spoke about it. Over the next 20 years, he worked on the idea off and on. He clearly was never successful, but he did not have a whole lot of support. It definitely couldn't be said that an exhaustive effort was made and it just isn't possible. His efforts were stopped in 1930 when he was arrested based on what seems likes unrelated events during a time of difficult for scientists in Soviet Russia.
