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Charles Darwin Timeline 1809-1882

By basmith5

  • Birth

    Charles Darwin, born in 1809, was an English naturalist and biologist, who is most famous for his work and studies on natural selection and the theory of evolution.

  • HMS Beagle

    In 1831, Darwin boarded the HMS Beagle, where he was employed as a naturalist. His job was to survey the South American coastline in order to make better maps of the region. During his voyage however, he spent quite a bit of time on land collecting different samples of plants, animals, rocks, and fossils. He explored several countries, and sent his findings back to England.

  • His work continues

    After several years at sea, Darwin returned to England, where he continues his work, and his studies led to groundbreaking discoveries. He shared some of his work with fellow scientists, and together they began to understand more of the Earth's surface. Additionally, his studies of the plant and animals samples he brought back began his curiosity of evolution, and how species change over time. This curiosity then led him to what he is now most known for, natural selection.

  • Theory of Evolution

    Natural selection states that species are more likely to survive in their environment when they inherit traits from parents best suited for that environment, and can lead to new species entirely. As Darwin continued his work, he eventually published his book, On the Origin of Species, which contained his thoughts about evolution and natural selection. His book changed the minds of many people, that species change over time, which suggested that the planet is much older than previously believed.

  • Death

    During Darwin's life most of what people believed came from the church. His work however, went against everything they preached. He declared humans as animals, and his first book showed the diagram of our evolution. His second book, The Descent of Man, is where the theory that we evolved from apes comes from. To this day, there are still arguments over this topic, and there are those out there who disagree with his work, and believe the Theory of Evolution shouldn't be taught at all.