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Charles Darwin's Early Life
English naturalist, Charles Darwin, was born February 12th, 1809 and died April 19th, 1882. Charles Darwin’s father and grandfather were both physicians and taught him a passion for science. Darwin started college in 1825 at University of Edinburgh, then prepared to become a clergyman at the University of Cambridge until 1831. He never made it to seminary school but instead set sail on a voyage that would revolutionize biology, leading to the theory of evolution, by way of natural selection. -
Darwin's Voyage on the HMS Beagle
Charles Darwin was given the chance to set sail on what became a five-year voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, a British warship that was charting the coasts around South America. He became the ship's naturalist and studied the various variety of species he found throughout his journey, including his famous observations of how finches varied on the different Galapagos islands. This journey was essential to the development of his theory of evolution by natural selection. -
The Publication of On the Origin of Species
Darwin published his book, On the Origin of Species, on November 24, 1859 and it was a huge success. In his book he described the theory of evolution by means of natural selection. He made observations about how species would evolve over time, and how the fittest or best adapted would survive and how other species would become extinct. He used domestication in agricultural animals as a clear example of selection. His theory became the basis of evolutionary biology. -
The Publication of the Decent of Man
Darwin also published another book about evolution where he argued that humans evolved just the same way that the animals did by means of natural selection. This theory was and still is controversial to many religious people because it explains biology in a natural, scientific way without invoking the need for a creator. Whatever the implications, the theory of evolution is backed by solid evidence. Check out this informative video on Darwin's theory here.
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Citations
Darwin, Charles, and Leonard Kebler. On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or, The preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. London: J. Murray, 1859. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/06017473/>. Darwin, Charles. The Autobiography of Charles Darwin. Open Road Integrated Media, Inc, 2020. Ruse, M. (2008). Charles Darwin. Blackwell Pub.