Timeline

By baumann

  • Birth of Lamark

    Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was born. Lamark advocated a theory of evolution which included the idea that traits could be acquired and then passed along to offspring.

  • Lamark death

    Jean-Baptiste Lamarck died. Lamark advocated a theory of evolution which included the idea that traits could be acquired and then passed along to offspring.

  • Charles leaves to study

    Employed as ship's naturalist, Charles Darwin left England aboard The Beagle.

  • Ernest was born

    Ernst Haeckel was born in Potsdam, Germany. Haeckel was an influential zoologist whose work on evolution served to inspire some of the racist theories of the Nazis.

  • Charles reaches the Islands

    The HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin aboard, finally reaches Galapagos Islands.

  • Darwin returns

    Darwin returned to England after a five-year voyage on the Beagle.

  • Charles' ideas are gonna be published

    Charles Darwin received a monograph from Alfred Russel Wallace which essentially summarized Darwin's own theories on evolution, thus inspiring him to publish his work sooner than he planned.

  • Fighting law against evolution

    John T. Scopes was born. Scopes became famous in a trial which challenged Tennessee's law against teaching evolution.

  • Fight for learning evolution

    Tennessee Governor Austin Peay signed into law a prohibition against the teaching of evolution in public schools. Later that year John Scopes would violate the law, leading to the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial.

  • Stephen was born

    Stephen Jay Gould, American paleontologist, was born.

  • Religion against Evolution ideology

    Pope Pius XII issued the encyclical Humani Generis, condemning ideologies which threatened Roman Catholic faith but allowing that evolution did not necessarily conflict with Christianity.

  • Epperson v. Arkansas

    The Supreme Court found that Arkansas' law prohibiting the teaching of evolution was unconstitutional because the motivation was based on a literal reading of Genesis, not science.

  • McClean v. Arkansas

    A federal judge found that Arkansas' "balanced treatment" law mandating equal treatment of creation science with evolution was unconstitutional.

  • Edwards v. Aguillard

    In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court invalidated Louisiana's "Creationism Act" because it violated the Establishment Clause.

  • Webster v. New Lenox

    Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that school boards have the right to prohibit teaching creationism because such lessons would constitute religious advocacy.