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Born
Charles Robert Darwin is born to Robert and Susannah Darwin. Charles was born at The Mount in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Charles is the fifth of six children. Robert, Charles father was a wealthy doctor and financier. "Young Charles was destined to follow in his footsteps, for early on he discovered his love of all things natural and became an avid collector of minerals, shells, and bird eggs, a hobby that would serve him well later in life." (“Charles Darwin Timeline”) -
Attends Edinburgh University
Charles attends Edinburgh University to study medicine. Charles attended Edinburgh University to be a physician just like his father but released he did not like the sight of blood. Darwin became more interested in animals and the theory of how animals evolve. "In his second year Charles became active in student societies for naturalists." (“Charles Darwin Timeline”) After finishing his degree, Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle, one of the British Royal Navy’s survey ships as a naturalist. -
First Speech
"Darwin made a discovery new to science when he observed cilia moving the microscopic larvae of a species of the bryzoan Flustra." (“Charles Darwin Timeline”) -
Attends The University of Cambridge
"Early in 1828, just before his twentieth birthday, Charles Darwin enrolled at the University of Cambridge to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree."(“Charles Darwin”) Charles graduated with his Bachelors degree and was at the top of his class. -
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HMS Beagle Voyage
Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle to obtain different specimens. "He saw a variety of unusual, unique species on the Galapagos Islands. Each separate island seemed to have its own distinct varieties of wildlife." (“Charles Darwin”) -
Marries Emma Wedgwood
"Charles and Emma were married at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Maer in England on January 29, 1839."(“Charles Darwin Timeline”) -
Publishes "The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs"
Darwin Publishes "The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs". This was written because Darwin had an interest in how coral reefs were formed and wanted to share the findings of his voyage on the HMS Beagle. This was one of three volumes. -
Receives the Royal Medal of The Royal Society
"The Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, is a silver-gilt medal awarded each year by the Royal Society, two for "the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge" and one for "distinguished contributions in the applied sciences" made within the Commonwealth of Nations.[1]" (“Charles Darwin Timeline”) -
Goes public with Evolution Theory
"Darwin's theory of natural selection accounts for the “design” of organisms, and for their wondrous diversity, as the result of natural processes, the gradual accumulation of spontaneously arisen variations (mutations) sorted out by natural selection." (Ayala) -
Publishes "Origin of Species"
On this date Charles Darwin first went public about his views on the evolution of species.(“Charles Darwin Timeline”) In this book, Darwin shared with others his theory of the origin of different species. It was a long argument of his views and observations. There were 1.250 copies of the book made and all were sold in the first day. -
Publishes "The Descent of Man"
"It was Darwin's second great book on evolutionary theory, following his 1859 work, On The Origin of Species. In The Descent of Man, Darwin applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details his theory of sexual selection. "(“Charles Darwin Timeline”) This book was just was successful as his first. This book discussed many different things such as evolutionary psychology and ethics, differences in human race and gender. In this book Darwin theorized that humans are descendants of apes. -
Receives Honorary Doctorate of Law from Cambridge University
"Darwin received an honorary Doctorate of Law from Cambridge University. This was one of the proudest moments of his life." (“Charles Darwin Timeline”) -
Dies
Charles Robert Darwin dies of heart failure at the age of 73. "He was buried in Westminster Abbey, London, next to John Herschel whose work had inspired him at university, and near his best friend Charles Lyell, whose work had influenced him greatly."(“Charles Darwin”)