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Bishop Ussher pinpoints Creation at 4004 B.C.
Using biblical chronology, he calculated the creation of heaven earth took place 4004 B.C. -
Spontaneous Generation
New magnification of instruments drive scientific research. The new question of whether life can arise from non-living matter. -
Linnaeus's Systema Naturae charts life
Carl Von Linne, a Swedish botanist writing under the Latin name Linnaeus, attempts to classify all life on earth. His system divides life into kingdoms ,classes etc. and he was known as the king of classification -
Comte de Buffon
Comte de Buffon suggests that living creatures evolve, according to natural laws. He even suggests that humans and apes are related and we all came from one common ancestor. -
Zoonomia
Charles Darwin grandfather, toys with the idea that all warm-blooded animals come from one living fillament -
Natural Theology
Archdeacon William Pasley's natural theology holds that theory or knowledge of God based on observed facts and experience apart from divine revelation -
Darwin born
Darwin was born in a conservative era, where they believed nothing changed and the world was only 6000 years old. -
Cuvier
Georges Cuvier tries to explain that the construction of canals and mines were constructed through a series of catastrophes like floods and earthquakes. But he disagrees with the fact that the past life has evolved into its' present forms. -
Lyell
Charles Lyell argues that the earth has a slow gradual process of evolution and he also describes that the earth is far more than 6000 years and he becomes a mentor for Darwin. -
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Beagle Voyage
When Darwin begins his voyage he intends on becoming a priest, but after his voyage he discovers that he is a changed man and he dedicated his life to science. -
Darwin's secret
The Galapagos birds seem to prove the theory of evolution, therefore he labels one of his notebooks as "transmutation of species" and in it he sketches his first tree of life. -
Anonymous
Robert Chambers, an author, publishes his ideas on evolution anonymously to prevent backlash from scientists and clergies. However they begin to rally against his ideas. -
Lord Kelvin
William Thompson, estimates that the world slowly cooled down after being formed from molten mass and he estimates the world is 20 to 400 million years old. -
in memoriam
Alfred lord Tennyson a famous poet, had a poem where the world was governed by natural laws, not god, govern the life present on the planet. He was shocked by scientists like Darwin's discoveries. -
The Neanderthal
A fossil of a skull, begins the debate of if humans were direct descendants of Adam and Eve. This started the debate of the process of human evolution. -
Flint tools
When a pickax falls into a cave, they found flint knives and bones of extinct mammals -
Wallace
Alfred Wallace an explorer, writes to Darwin from Malaysia. Wallace also provides the same theory as Darwin of natural selection and he is shocked. This motivated him to publish the book because of competition. -
Origin of species
Darwin's book challenges the idea of evolution and is the most influential. His book challenges biblical text about the theory of evolution and challenges the existence of god. -
Ape Debate
Critics attack Darwin on human evolution and the main debate occurs between social conservatives and scientists. -
Mendel
Gregor Mendel publishes a paper on how traits are inherited through generations and this was discovered through his experiment with peas. -
Evolution Accepted
Evolution becomes mainstream science and is spoken about in newspapers and magazines and also religious publications too. -
Fabulous Fossils
In the western region of North America, the hunt for fossils is well under way finding immense amounts of fossils. -
Atheism
Charles Hodge rejects Darwin's theory of natural laws alone can't account for the life on earth and claims he is a atheist -
Descent of man
Darwin blatantly speaks on human evolution and the importance of sexual selection is the driving force of evolution. Also to pass on their genes to pass on they need to be fit and also attractive to mate. -
Warfare
Andrew Dickson White's book, History of the warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom was published in a era where there was little conflict between scientists and theologians. He brings more criticism than reunion. This later fuels the argument between evolutionists and Christians. -
Horse Fossils
Thomas Huxley ventures to the U.S to give public lectures. While looking for a dramatic example, he joins with fossil hunter to discover stunning fossils of ancient horses. they predicted a five-toed animal likely existed, and several months later fossils of this animal called Eohippus was discovered. -
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Social Darwinism
the English social scientist Herbert Spencer proclaims that a struggle for existence in human society leads, in effect, to its evolution. Spencer argues against policies that interfere with the struggle, which he thinks leads to the rise of fit individuals and institutions. Spencer's ideas lay the foundation for Social Darwinism. The philosophy is embraced by John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and other laissez-faire capitalists around the turn of the century. -
Darwin's Burial
Darwin was buried near the grave of Isaac Newton. His funeral is attended by many scientists, clergy and politicians -
Theistic Evolution
Scientists argue that the theory of evolution is compatible with god and that god has a important role in evolution. Asa Gray writes a school textbook about the importance of evolution and many begin to follow and agree with him widely. Many modern Christians begin to embrace the theory of evolution even though they doubted Darwin's theory of artificial selection. -
Radioactivity
The discovery of Radioactivity by Antoine henri becquerel leads to more calculations of the earth and he calculated the earth is 4.3 billion years old. -
Mendel Rediscovered
the work of Mendel comes into the research and science of genetics. Mendel's idea of inheritance and the idea of blending traits was a major roadblock for scientists and even Darwin. -
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The Fundamentals
A growing social movement has started, the fundamentalists note that the story of Genesis can be united with the findings of mainstream science. -
Scotfield Bible
The James King bible edited by Cyrus Scotfield, he adds a note of the "gap theory" of creation -
Is Piltdown Man a "missing link"
Critics and proponents of evolution eagerly await the discovery of a "missing link" between humans and other primates. The fossil skull called Piltdown Man seems the be the link. The find at first bolsters the argument for human evolution. In the 1920's a model of the skill is brought to the scoped trial by the defense but in the 1950's the fossil is revealed as a fake. -
Flood geology has few proponents
Many conservative Christians of the day accepted that Earth may be millions of years old, but the seeds for the young-Earth creationist movement are sown. George McCready Price a seventh-day Adventist argued in his book The Fundamentals of Geology that virtually all fossil-bearing rock on Earth can be attributed to the one year of Noah's flood. This idea would not be accepted for 50 years. -
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WW1 spurs anit-evolution crusade
The horrors of the Great War played a vital role in bringing together various strands of conservative Christians into a united fundamentalist movement and helps launch an anti-evolution crusade. Critics of evolution link the aggression of the Germans to Darwin's idea of "survival of the fittest." -
Conservative Christians flock to the WCFA
6,000 conservative Christians attend the inaugural conference of the World's Christians Fundamentals Association, or WCFA. Around this time the term "fundamentalist" is coined to describe Christians who are turning away from what they perceive as dangerous "modernist" trends. While modernist Protestants seek to incorporate the findings of science with Christian doctrine, funfamentalists began to rally against the science they see as the greatest threat to their faith: Darwinian evolution. -
William Jennings Bryan launches crusade
Bryan rallies against the teaching of evolution. Bryan is of the most influential politicians in America. He has run for president three time on the Democratic ticket. Now, the last great campaign of his life is against evolution. -
First anti-evolution bills passed
Sic southern and border states consider anti-evolution proposals. In Oklahoma, a ban is placed on public school textbooks that teach the "Materialist Conception of History (i.e.) the Darwin Theory of Creation." In Florida, a non-binding resolution declares, "It is improper and subversive to the best interest of the people" for public schools " to teach as true Darwinism or any hypothesis that link man in blood relationship to any form of lower life. -
Scopes trial puts conterversy on center stage
This test case was over the teaching of human evolution. William Jennings Bryan, who leads the prosecution against John Scopes, sees it as a battle to uphold Christianity and the right of majority rule. No one really wins but both sides claim to have won, because of this trial it spurs on the anti-evolutionist crusade. -
Taungs " Man-like ape" stirs fury
Raymond's dart announces that a prehistoric "Man-like ape" has been found along with the skull of an ancient baboon that has a mysterious opening. Dart speculates that clever "man-like ape" killed the baboon and extracted its brain for food.The implications that humans evolved thought fierce hunting horrifies anti-evolutionists. -
NEO-DARWINSIM
By the early 1940's, the science of genetics has offered profound new insights into evolution. Scientists now understand that random genetic mutation can cause changes in the traits of organism, and that inherited changes are then spread throughout a population by the mechanism Darwin called as natural selection. Neo-Darwinism is an updated theory of evolution combining modern genetics with Darwin's 19th century theory. -
DNA puzzle solved
Science has known for decades that genes determine the traits of living things and that they are passed down through generations. But it takes the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA to unlock the details of what genes are and how they work. -
Can origins of life be glimsed in a lab
Stanley miller uses electric currents and inorganic chemicals to create amino acids. This and more experiments arises the idea that the first life on earth may have arisen through natural processes. -
A new view of humans and apes
Breakthroughs in genetic science allow researchers to see striking similarities in the DNA blueprint for humans and apes. Vincent Sarich and Allen Wilson find evidence that humans are more closely related to African apes than African apes are to orangutans. In 1971 Mary-Claire King and Allen Wilson estimate that humans and chimps share more than 98 percent of their genes. -
DNA CODES
Because of advances in technology Scientist can now read DNA allowing for an inside look to evolution. -
Human Genome
With the first sequence of human genome complete scientists see more than ever how intimately related the human species is to other life on Earth.