Charles Darwin Biography

Charles Darwin is known for his work as a naturalist. Darwin developed a theory of evolution to explain biological change. Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England, on February 12, 1809. In 1831, he embarked on a five-year voyage around the world on the HMS Beagle. His studies of specimens all over the world led him to formulate his theory of evolution and his views on the natural selection.

In 1859, he published The Origin of Species and 23 years later would die on April 19, 1882, in London.

Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, in the small town of Shrewsbury, England. Charles Darwin belonged to a family with a broad history of scientists. His father, Dr. Robert Darwin, was a doctor, and his grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, was a recognized botanist. Darwin’s mother, Susanna, died when he was only 8 years old.

In October of 1825, at the age of 16, Darwin enrolled at the University of Edinburgh, along with his brother Erasmus. Two years later, Charles Darwin became a student at Christs College, Cambridge. His father expected him to follow his footsteps and to study Medicine. However, Darwin was passionate about the natural sciences and natural history.

“When it was said for the first time that the sun remained fixed and that the world revolved, the common sense of mankind declared the false doctrine; but the old saying vox populi, Vox Dei, as every philosopher knows, can not be entrusted to science “. Charles Darwin

 

HMS BEAGLE

HMS Beagle was a Cherokee-class 10-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy and on December 27, 1831, the HMS Beagle started his trip around the world with Darwin on board. During the trip, Darwin collected and observed a wide variety of natural specimens, including birds, plants, and fossils. Through practice in research and experimentation, he had the unique opportunity to closely observe the principles of botany, geology, and zoology. The islands of the Pacific and the Galapagos Archipelago were of particular interest, as was South America.

Upon his return to England in 1836, Darwin began to write his discoveries in a research journal, the journey had a monumental effect on Darwin’s vision of natural history. He began to develop a revolutionary theory about the origin of living beings that was contrary to the popular opinion of other naturalists at that time.

 

THEORY OF EVOLUTION

The experience acquired by Charles Darwin on the trip raised important questions. Other naturalists believed that all species were either made at the beginning of the origin of the world or had been created throughout natural history. In either case, it was believed that the species remained almost the same over time. However, Darwin noticing the similarities between species throughout the world, and some variations based on specific locations, led him to believe that they had evolved gradually from common ancestors. He came to believe that the species survived through a process called “natural selection,” where species that successfully adapt to meet the changing needs of their natural habitat had thrived, while those that could not develop and reproduce would die.

In 1858, after years of scientific research, Darwin publicly presented his revolutionary theory of evolution at a meeting of the Linnean Society. On November 24, 1859, he published a detailed explanation of his theory in his best-known work, The Origin of Species through Natural Selection.

 

DEATH AND LEGACY

After a life devoted to research, Charles Darwin died at his family home, Down House, in London, on April 19, 1882, and was buried at Westminster Abbey. Throughout the next century, DNA studies would reveal evidence of his theory of evolution, despite the controversy surrounding his conflict with the Creationism, the religious view that all nature was born of God, which, nowadays is still valid.