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Bishop Ussher
Archbishop James Usher from Ireland, thinks that Heaven and Earth's creation was in 4004 B.C. -
Spontaneous Generation
Jesuit-trained physician Francesco Redi shows why fly maggots frequently crop up in putrefied meat. The're not the result of "spontanneous genetration" but born from eggs to tiny for the naked eye to see. -
Linnaeus’s
Swedish botanist Carl Von Linne (Linnaeus) tries to classify all life on earth. This system includes dividing life into kingdoms, classes, orders, genera, and species. It is a landmark in science that will give a great impact in future naturalists, including Charles Darwin. But for Linnaeus does not say that different animals were related through evolution. -
Comte de Bufon
Georges Louis Leclere, Comte de Bufon thinks that living creatures evolves according to natural laws. He even dares suggest that humans and apes are related, and that we all have descended from one same ancestor. -
Natural Theology
Archdeacon William Paley's Natural Theology, holds that not only God's existanse but also the attributes are manifest in the intricate forms of nature. Paley says that the eye is such a complex organ, that it must have been designed by an intelligent designer, like the pocket watch. -
Lamarck
French naturalist Jean Baptiste de Lamarck proposes that things evolve to become more complex through time. He says that "vital forces" within creatures, help them adapt to their environment. -
Cuvier
French naturalist Georges Cuvier, attempts to explain the construction of canals and mines in the early 19th centhury, that unburried fossils of bizarre and extinct creatures. Cuvier says that modern creatures are far to complex to have evolved naturally. -
Lyell
Most of the naturalists in the early 19th centhury think that the history of Earth (and life on Earth too) spans vast ages. Charles Lyell helps further this idea. Lyell becomes Charles Darwins's mentor, he will apply Lyell's notion of gradual change to his theory of how species evolve. -
Beagle Voyage
When Charles Darwin begins his voyage around the world, he intends to spend his life in the clergy. But 5 years later at the end of what was goint to be a 2 year trip, he was a changed man. He is now committed to a life in science. Findnig fossils in South America and creatures in the Galapagos Islands. -
Neanderthal
The unburried fossil skull in Germany Neander Valley fuels a debate over wether all humans are direct descendents of Adam and Eve. The skull looks more like a modern human, but its still different. -
Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, a young british explorer contacted Darwin, seeking for advice. Wallace has a theory of how species might evolve, Darwin is shocked. Wallace is struck upon the theory of natural selection, and Darwin has been working on that for 20 years. Their ideas are similar. -
Origin of Species
While far from the forst work on evolution, Darwin's book is the most influencial. It offers a wealth of evidence and it proposes a coherent theory for evolution. Domestic animals evolve through breeding or "artificial selection" species in the wild evolve through "natural selection". -
Ape Debate
While "On The Origin Of Species" does not adress human evolution, critics assume that Darwin thinks humans are no exeption. Critics attack Darwin's theory for bestializing human kind. -
Evolution Accepted
Some prominent scientists continue to reject the idea of evolution, but only a few years after of “On The Origin Of Species” is published, evolution is mainstream science. Magazines and newspapers promote evolution. Still Darwin’s theory for how evolution happens (natural selection) is still doubted. -
Descent Of Man
Different from “On The Origin Of Species”, Darwin now shamelessly takes on human evolution. His new book also stresses the importance of “sexual selection” in driving the evolution of life. To pass along traits to future generations, individuals must not only fit to survive, but also be irresistible to the opposite sex. -
Horse Fossils
Thomas Huxley journeys to the US to give lectures. Huxley visits fossil hunter Othniel Charles Marsh at Yale. Marsh has recently discovered some horse fossils. They put together the horse discovery and the evolution theory, and they say that the horse comes from a 4 toed ancestor. -
Darwin's Burial
Darwin’s body is laid to the rest in a place of honor, near the grave of sir Isaac Newton. His burial (in the most prominent abbey in England) is attended by Britain’s leading politicians, scientists and clergy. The Angelican Church has accepted evolution. -
Radioactivity
The discovery of radioactivity by physicist Antoine Henry Becquerel leads to remarkable calculations of Earth’s age. Rocks show that the earth is more than 4.3 million years old. -
Piltdown Man
Both critics and proponents of evolution eagerly wait for the discovery of a “missing link” between humans and other primates. A fossil skull called Piltdown Man seems to be this missing link. -
Man-like Ape
Raymond Dart announces that a prehistoric “man-like ape”has been found in a limestone quarry at Tangus, South Africa. -
Textbooks Censored
Afraid of loosing sales in the South and West, publishers remove references to evolution from biology textbooks. -
Tennessee Law
By an enormous majority, the Tennessee legislature passes a bill that makes it a felony for public school teachers “to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that the man has descended from a lower order of animal” -
Anti-evolution Bills
In the year following the scopes trial, some 35 new anti-evolution bills re proposed in 20 states, and three stages pass laws. By the 1930’s many areas in which fundamentalists hold political sway have passed some form of restriction of teaching evolution -
Neo Darwinism
The science of genetics has offered profound new insights into evolution. Scientists now understand that random genetic mutations can cause changes in the traits of an organism, and that those inherited changes are then spread throughout a population by the mechanism that Darwin called “natural selection”. -
Evolution Shunned
with textbook effectively censored by commercial concerns and many anti-evolutionist rulings and regulations in place, the teaching of evolution hits a low point. Then one worried scientist estimated that less than the half of all high schools taught anything about evolution. -
Supreme Court
In 1947 the Supreme Court rules that neither the state nor the federal government “can ss laws which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another”. -
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII considers evolution as a serious hypothesis worthy of deep study. -
DNA
At this time they knew about the traits but when they discovered about double-helix structure DNA they discovered how genes worked. -
Humans and Apes
Because of genetic science scientists study apes and their similarities to human and they find that african apes are more cloesly related to humans than to orangutans -
Supreme Court on Evolution
Some people take to the supreme court a case and lost effectively canceling the action to prevent evolution from being thought in public schools. -
DNA Codes
Because of the modern technology scientists are now able to see DNA easily and see how it has changed a lot over the years. -
Textbook Disclaimers
Schools start to tell that whenever evolution is taught they should say that evolution is not intended to affect you biblical beliefs. So textbook state that is is a theory and not a fact. -
Pope John Paul II
His predecessor opened the door to catholic acceptance to evolution and Pope john paul said that it was indeed a remarkable research. -
Science Standards
In the U.S the the topic of evolution is mostly never touched, in 12 states the word evolution is shin and in 4 the topic is avoided completely. But scientists still say that their faith to God should be honored. -
Human Genome
With the first draft of the human genome complete scientists discover more than ever. Not only is 98% percent of our genes related to chimpanzees but we also share genes with fruit flies and yeast.
