Geology Smore
Charles Darwin
About Him!
Charles Robert Darwin was born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire England. His parents were Robert and Susannah Darwin. He was the fifth of six Darwin children. His mother died when he was eight, so he was sent off to boarding school in Shrewsbury where he was a mediocre student at best. His father sent Charles and his older brother to the University of Edinburgh to study medicine. However, Charles could not stand the sight of blood and so instead he started studying natural history, which angered his father. He then was sent off to Christ's College in Cambridge to become a clergyman. He then started a collection of beetles and kept his love of nature.
Darwin's Journey!
Darwin's journey on the HMS Beagle led hime across the world to study natural specimens and he collected some to bring back to England and study it there. He also read books by Charles Lyell and Thomas Malthus. This influenced his thoughts on evolution.
When He Returns!
When he returned to England he got married to his first cousin who was Emma Wedqwood. He then began researching his specimen. At first, Charles was reluctent to share his findings about the evolution but in 1854 he worked with Alfred Russell Wallace and they presented the idea of evolution and natural selection.
His Book!
Darwin published his theory of evolution with compelling evidence in his 1859 book On The Origin of Species. By the 1870s the scientific community and much of the general public had accepted evolution as a fact. However, many favored competing explanations.