-
350
Aristotle (350B.C.)
The Greek philosopher, studied marine animals and developed an epigenetic model of evolution and a classification system for all animals. -
500
Xenophanes (500B.C.)
Studied fossils and stated various theories on the evolution of life. -
520
Anaximander (520 B.C.)
introduced an idea of evolution, stating that life started as slime in the oceans and eventually moved to drier places. He also brought up the idea that species evolved over time -
Jan 19, 1450
Evolution Back in Medieval Times
People in the medieval age mostly believed that all things showed up on this earth in unchanging form. People in the medieval age were very strictly religious and would not believe anything besides it, adn did not take it to well when someone tried to say different. -
Jan 19, 1557
Carl Linnaeus
On April 16 1557 Carl Linnaeus publishes his system for giving Latin names to plants Carl Linnaeus is ennobled for his major contributions to the nation and to science -
Jan 19, 1579
The Great Chain of Being Theory
That God created an infinite number of life forms, each one grading into the next, from simplest to most complex. -
Jan 1, 1581
James Ussher
He was a 17th century Anglican archbishop of Armagh in Northern Ireland. He believed the theory of the "Great Chain of Being." This held that God created an infinite and continuous series of life forms, each one grading into the next, from simplest to most complex, and that all organisms, including humans, were created in their present form relatively recently and that they have remained unchanged since then. -
John Ray
The concept of genus and species was actually developed in the late 1600's by Ray, an English naturalist and ordained minister. This was very controversial at the time since it implied that people were part of nature, along with other animals and plants. In addition, it meant that we were biologically closer to the other primates than to all other animals. -
Spontaneous Generation
Stated that living things can appear fully formed from inorganic matter. In this view, maggots came from rotting meat, frogs came from slime, etc. -
Carl Linnneaeus Died
Carl Linnneaeus died on January 10 1778 -
Charles Lyell
A careful examination of geological deposits led the English scientist, Charles Lyell, to conclude that Cuvier's catastrophism theory was wrong. He believed that there primarily have been slower, progressive changes. Lyell documented the fact that the Earth must be very old and that it has been subject to the same sort of natural processes in the past that operate today in shaping the land. These forces include erosion, earthquakes, glacial movements, volcanoes,etc. -
Immanuel Kant Died
Immanuel Kant died on February 12, 1804 -
Alfred Wallace
He is best known for independently proposing a theory of evolution due to natural selection that prompted Darwin to publish his own theory. He won awards including the Royal Society's Royal Medal(1868) and Copley Medal and Order of Merit (1908).. -
Lamarck's Theory of Evolution
Lamarck saw species as not being fixed and immutable, but rather in a constantly changing state. -
Uniformitarianism
Uniformitarianism is the idea that the earth is very old and that it has been subject to the same sort of natural processes in the past that operate today in shaping the land. These forces include erosion, earthquakes, and volcanoes. -
Darwin Publishes
Darwin publishes his book about his Voyage on the HMS Beagle -
Earth's Age
William Thompson reportedly estimated the earth to be just 100 million years old, basing his estimate on a model that posited that the earth began as a molten mass of rock and had cooled steadily to its present temperature, with only the last 20 or so million years being cool enough for life as as we know it. Later Kelvin revised his estimate several times, settling in a range from 20 to 40 million years. -
Thomas Huxley
Thomas Huxley was known as "Darwin's Bulldog" because of his passionate, eloquent defense of Darwinism against attackers of the theory. Huxley, born to a poor family, had little education became a medical apprentice and won a scholarship to study at a hospital. He then established his reputation as a scientist through research conducted while serving as assistant surgeon on the H.M.S. Rattlesnake. Though he was once an opponent of evolutionary change, he quickly embraced Darwin's theory. -
Darwin & Wallace
In 1858, Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace released a joint scientific paper which introduced the concept of evolution by means of natural selection. This paper, along with Darwin’s subsequent publication, “The Origin of Species”, changed the way science and society explained events in our natural world. -
Darwins Most Famous Book
Darwin published 'On the Origin of Species' about Natural Selection'.
