Darwin, Charles
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was a British scientist who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution by natural selection and transformed the way we think about the natural world.
Darwin, a naturalist, was born in Shrewsbury, England on Feb. 12, 1809. His father was also a naturalist and a physician. His mother died when he was eight. Darwin was the first of the evolutionary biologists . At age sixteen, Darwin left Shrewsbury to study medicine at the University of Edinbourgh but switched to Cambridge University to study divinity. After he graduated, he went on a five-year scientific expedition to the Pacific coast of South America on the H.M.S. Beagle from 1831-1836. On the Origin of Species (1859) described evolution and natural selection, giving a theoretical explanation for the diversity among living and fossil beings. His book was not well received among the general population who felt threatened at the notion that humans were descended from ape-like creatures. The scientific community, however, did grasp his theories and today his book forms the basis for many contemporary archaeological theories.
In 1839 he married his cousin, Emma Wedgewood. Charles Darwin lived with his wife and children at their home on Downe, England. It is thought that he may have contracted some kind of illness during his travels in South America. He died on April 19, 1882 and is buried at Westminster Abbey.
Darwin's main works include The Origin of Species (1859) and The Descent of Man (1871).
Further Reading
- AboutDarwin.com
- Minnesota State University, Manketo – E-Museum. Charles Darwin (1809-1882).
- University of Cambridge. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online.