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Date of birth/place
Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in The Mount House, Shrewsbury, United Kingom. -
Darwin Sets Sail
Charles Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle from Plymouth, England. On this venture Darwin was the 22 year old ships naturalist. On this 5 year journey he kept extensive notebooks of observations he made from the shores of each stop. He kept samples of plants and animals. Darwin made his key observation of the finches on the Galapagos Island. He noticed similarities to those of the mainland Darwin's theory of Evolution through natural selection was born. He read Lyell's Principles of Geology. -
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Darwin visits the Galapagos
Darwin visits the Galapagos Islands which he knew was a recently formed island by volcanic activity. The island was so new yet had so much diverse life and this surprised Darwin. He was specifically drawn to the variety of finches on the island and particularly their beak shape. Here is where Darwin concluded that different species developed through a gradual process of evolution. -
Darwin experienced an earthquake
Darwin arrived in South America and found fossil evidence that showed simple to complex life form progression. While there he experienced an earthquake on the southwest coast. The earthquake lifted the land distances of three to ten feet. He later found fossils on the mountain top. He thought many earthquakes could've shifted the fossils up there. This all supported Lyell's geological theory that earth was constantly changing. -
Darwin meets Lyell
Charles Darwin meets Charles Lyell a Scottish geologist. Lyell was a key component is Darwin's research and scientific background. He originally didn't agree with Darwin's theory but eventually became to accept it. They became very close friends. Lyell was Darwin's confidant and source of scientific inspiration. Darwin believed his books "came half out of Lyell's brains". -
Darwin's first speech
Darwin made his first speech to the Geological Society of London. He had Charles Lyell with him to back him up. His argument was that South America was a landmass that was slowly rising. He spoke about how animals located there would adapt to the change. This was a very large event with all the experts of the field present. Darwin also presented on this day to the Zoological Society his mammal and bird specimens. The specimens were ones he had collected on his voyage Beagle. -
Charles Darwin is elected to the Athenaeum
Charles Darwin was elected into the very prestigious club Athenaeum. This club was for men distinguished in many fields like literature, art, or science. -
Darwin presented his idea of Evolution
On July 1, 1858 Darwin presented his idea of Evolution to the Linnean Society of London. Darwin concluded from his research that plants and animals developed, shaped and changed gradually over long periods of time.He thought that new species had evolved from older species through a process he called natural selection. -
Five minute over view of Darwin's Theory of Evolution
This is where the saying "survival of the fittest" is re-evaluated to be "survival of the most adaptable. Darwin's findings and theory proved that its not necessarily being strong that helps you survive. Being able to adapt to changes in the environment and then pass those genes on is what drives evolution. This theory drastically changed the scientific community and the way we live and think today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOk_0mUT_JU -
On the Origin of Species
Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. This book was immediately controversial and contentious to the time. Darwin was creating a paradigm shift from the previous thought of creationism to the theory of Evolution. This opened a whole new mind set and branch of science. Many scientist sought out to help this theory along and provide more evidence to support the claim. -
Death date/place
Charles Darwin dies on April 19, 1882 from a heart attack. He died in his family home, Down house in London. Charles is buried at the Westminster Abbey.