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Born
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Develops passion for studying beetles. Meets his mentors.
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Joins crew of HMS Beagle which sets sail in December on a 5 year voyage
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See evidence of the land gradually and continually changing
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Visits Rainforests
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Meets various tribal people. Still considers them savages
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Collects fossil bones. Discovers the remains of 9 different colossal animals. Realizes current species resemble giant fossils found
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Experiences earthquake
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Visits Lima, Peru
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Goes to the Galapagos islands. Notices difference between species on different islands. Bases later theory on these observations
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Visits Australia
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Returns home. Devotes himself to studying nature
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Begins writing theory of Natural Selection. Advantageous traits are passed on to offspring. Those without them die.
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On the Origin of Species is published. Darwin did not believe that humans evolved from apes but instead shared a common ancestor. He also believed that evolution reconciled with a belief in God.
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Died