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Born February 12, 1809 (Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England)
The second son to Dr. Robert Waring Darwin and Susannah Wedgewood, Charles Robert Darwin was born into a family of 7 having an older brother and three older sisters. Darwin's mother died of a gastrointestinal illness when he was 8 years old and was cared for by his three older sisters after her passing. *Image: Charles Darwin age 7 -
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Education
Darwin attended the Anglican Shrewsbury School from 1818-1825, Edinburgh University from 1825-1828, and finally Christs College in Cambridge from 1828-1831 when he attained his Bachelor of Arts Degree. -
The HMS Beagle Sets Sail
Inspired by Alexander Von Humboldt's "Personal Narrative of Travels", and at the suggestion of his former Professor at Christ's College, the Reverend John Stevens Henslow, Darwin embarks on a journey to South America's Tierra Del Fuego aboard the HMS Beagle. The 5-year voyage, which would include a circumnavigation of the globe, would be the making of the 22-year old gentleman naturalist. The HMS Beagle set sail on December 27, 1831. -
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Developing the Theory
"The Making of a Theory: Darwin, Wallace, and Natural Selection — HHMI BioInteractive Video" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOiUZ3ycZwU BioInteractive. (2014). The Making of a Theory: Darwin, Wallace, and Natural Selection — HHMI BioInteractive Video [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOiUZ3ycZwU&feature=youtu.be -
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The Voyage of the Beagle
Those 5 years provided Darwin with a lifetime's worth of experiences. He witnessed the casts of both man and animal along his journey and the plethora of flora and fauna the world had to offer. He finished his 770-page diary, 1750 pages of notes, and drew up 12 catalogs of his 5436 skins, bones, and carcasses. Along with his continued questions about the Galapagos birds, Darwin pondered what could have happened to the species that left these fossilized remains but are nowhere to be found today. -
The Galapagos Islands
Darwin landed on the Galapagos Islands on September 18th, 1835. Contrary to legend, the islands did not provide Darwin with his "Ah-ha!" moment, at least not at the time, although he did note that the mocking birds differed on four islands and tagged his specimens accordingly. This would continue to boggle Darwin, leaving him to question if each mockingbird was a naturally produced variety. -
The Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle
In the years that followed, Darwin became somewhat of a celebrity in the scientific community. He became a new fellow of the Geological Society in January 1837, being promoted to secretary of the society by 1838. With a grant obtained from his network at Cambridge, Darwin had the best experts analyze his findings and had them published in his Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle in the early 1840s. He was now lionized in London. Image: Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle -
On the Origin of Species
Nearly two decades had passed. Years of working and reworking his theory of natural selection, years of overwhelming stress due to the tumultuous atmosphere of the scientific community, wounded by the deaths of two of his children over the years, and crippled by fear of what would result from combating the church's views on transmutation (evolution). It wasn't until Darwin became aware of another scientist was working towards a similar theory that he pushed to finally have his book published. -
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Aftershock from the "Origin of the Species"
Though "Origin of the Species" covered a multitude of organisms, the arguments that ensued over the next decade primarily circled around Darwin's positing of man's origin from apes. While this rocked the foundations of the beliefs of the church, he received just as much backlash from the scientific community, even with Darwin's position among their highest ranks. Darwin met each attack with further proof of evolution, often using plant species as prime examples. -
The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex
Darwin finally addressed the evolution of man directly in his published, "The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex". This two-volume work addressed the evolution of civilization and human origins among the Old World monkeys in the first volume. In the second volume Darwin goes on to explain how even seemingly insignificant traits, such as colorful plumage, play a role in the "sexual selection" of a species, and how such things are true for humans as well. -
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The Closing Curtain
Over the next decade, Darwin completed further works on subjects such as "The Expressions of the Emotions in Man and Animals" (1872), his autobiography (1876-1881), and wrapped up his final, long-term interest with "The Formation of Vegetable Mould, Through the Action of Worms" (1881). Darwin suffered from angina in his later years, had a seizure in March 1882, and died of a heart attack on April 19 that same year. -
A Westminster Burial
Feeling Darwin deserving of more, Darwin's friends and peers pushed for a grand gesture. His cousin, the renowned statistician Francis Galton had the Royal Society request the family's permission for a state burial. His long time friend and advocate Thomas Huxley convinced the canon of Westminster Abbey to bury the modest agnostic amongst England's royalty. Today, he lies next to Sir Isaac Newton, between whom more recently was placed the ashes of Stephen Hawking.
