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Darwin's Birth
Darwin was born the 12th of February 1809. He was the fifth son of Robert Waring Darwin, a prominent doctor, and Susannah Wedgwood Darwin the daughter of an affluent pottery maker. He was born in the small merchant town of Shrewsbury, England. His life would be shaped by his family background and the events of his early life ("Darwin, Charles Robert 1809 - 1882" Par. 1) -
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The War Of 1812
Meanwhile, across the sea in America, we were fighting in our first war since the revolution. America and Britan were at war over the British impressment of American sailors. The war lasted 3 years and ended in America's victory (The War Of 1812. Par. 1) -
The Second Great Awakening
The second Great Awakening was a religious revival of the Protestant sect of Christianity. It rejected the more logical, rational ways of the Enlightenment in favor of a more romanticized view. The movement was meant to remedy the many pitfalls of society before the second coming of Jesus Christ. (Religious Transformations and the Second Great Awakening, Par. 6) -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an American political agreement. Missouri had requested to join the union as a slave state, which threatened to upset the delicate balance between slave and free states. To avoid conflict, Congress granted Missouri the request while making Main, which had until now been part of Massachusetts, a new free state. Keeping everything in balance. ("Missouri Compromise", Par. 1) -
Darwin Leaves Medical School
Darwin leaves Shrewsbury School where he studied medicine. He left because he had a terrible fear of blood and couldn't even see a surgery done without becoming nauseous, and he found the lectures to be dreadfully dull. This marks an important transition in his life, as his father had hoped he would become a doctor like him. It also was the beginning of a trend that would remain pervasive throughout his life, namely his distaste for standard education. ("Charles Darwin Biography" Par. 2) -
A new line of study
In 1827 Darwin enrolled in Christ's College in Cambridge so he could study to become a clergyman. He had been sent at his father's behest and during his time there he developed a fascination with natural science, taking up beetle collecting and attending lectures given by one John Stevens Henslow on botany. The study of plants. The love of natural sciences he developed there would persist throughout his life and shape their events. (Berger, 153) -
An Interest in Geology
In early august of 1803 Darwin accompanied his friend and teacher Adam Sedgwick on his annual geological field trip to Wales. The trip started Darwin's interest in geology. This interest would persist throughout his life. ( Browne & Van Wyhe Par. 15) -
Setting Sail
Returning home in august, Darwin finds a letter from Henslow, his friend and former teacher, inviting him on a voyage around the world on the HMS Beagle. His father objects heavily but concedes when Darwin's uncle, Josiah Wedgwood II, agreed he should go. He set sail on the 12th of December. The voyage would lay the groundwork for his theory of evolution (Macmillan Profiles: Scientists and Inventors, 275) -
Land Fall
The Beagle makes its first extended landing in tropical South America, giving Darwin his first real chance to study living things outside Europe. This was also when he began keeping dedicated field notes that would make tracking his discoveries much easier. (Charles DArwin Biography, Par. 3) -
Texas' Independence
Texas went to war with its mother country Mexico for their independence. The reason for the conflict was that Slaves were against Mexican law, but settlers from America had brought slaves with them. The resulting conflict created the Republic of Texas, and later, the state of Texas as we know it. (Texas Declares Independence. Par. 1) -
The Beagle Returns
The beagle, done with its five-year voyage, returns to England. Darwin would devote the rest of his life to sorting and studying the thousands of samples and notes he'd taken and sent back to England. From these observations he would create his famous theory of natural selection. (Macmillan Profiles: Scientists and Inventors, 275) -
The Trail Of Tears
Part of Andrew Jackson's campaign was to move the Cherokee tribe far west to get them out of the way of American expansion. The tribe was forced to give up all lands east of the Mississipi and march to their new home in modern-day Oklahoma. The trip was referred to as the "Trail Of Tears" because of the horrendous conditions faced by the natives. Disease, famine, and exhaustion were commonplace. Most didn't make the Trip. (The Trail Of Tears. Par. 1) -
Notes From The Voyage
Darwin published a collection of the extensive notes he took during the voyage of the Beagle. The book was entitled "Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle between the years 1826 and 1836, describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagle's circumnavigation of the globe. Journal and remarks. 1832-1836." This gained him a considerable amount of attention from the scientific community. (Browne & van Wyhe, Par. 25) -
Mexican-American War
An armed conflict between America and Mexico over ownership of Texas. Texas had left Mexico years before but America had yet to allow it into the union due to Northern political interest. After the war, Mexico had lost almost a third of its territory. ("Mexican-American War", Par. 1) -
A Revolutionary Theory
Darwin's Origin Of Species was his most famous and influential work. It outlined his theory of how species were capable of changing and evolving over time. A process he called evolution. This would lay the ground work for the future of modern biology (Drowne & Wyhe, Par. 44) -
Darwin's Death
Darwin passed away on the 19th of April, 1882 at age 73. Years of unprotected exposure to harmful chemicals lead to flagging health that eventually caught up to the renowned scientist. He was buried in Westminster Abbey alongside some of England's greatest minds on the 26th. (Bragg, 127)
