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Charles
Darwin
became famous when he hypothesized that
all life evolved from common ancestors
through evolutionary processes of natural
selection. His studies aboard the ship
Beagle lasted five years after which time
he published his journals and solidified
his theories on evolution in 1938. His
book, On the Origin of Species, along
with his journals and theories, have served
as a solid foundation for evolutionary
science all over the world.
Charles
Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in
Shropshire, England to Susannah Darwin
and Robert Darwin, a wealthy doctor. Darwin
was the fifth of six children and grew
up in a largely Unitarian household. Although
he was baptized in the Anglican Church,
Darwin spent his early childhood studying
in the Unitarian Church until his mother
died in 1817 at which point he began attending
boarding school at the Anglican Shrewsbury
School.
At
the age of 14, Darwin shadowed his father
for a summer, serving as an apprentice
while his father treated the poor of Shropshire.
In the fall of 1925, after finishing his
studies with his father, Darwin began
attending the University of Edinburgh
in hopes of following in his fathers footsteps.
Medicine, however, did not come easily
to Darwin and he was appalled at the surgical
elements of the trade and began neglecting
his studies. He began studying taxidermy
instead and, in his second year, Darwin
changed his focus to natural history.
Darwin
became an enthusiastic student of evolutionary
theories and the homologous traits of
mammals. At the time, the idea of related
mammalian species was considered radical
but Darwin embraced it and eagerly set
out to make his own discoveries in the
field.
Unimpressed
with his son's choice of studies, Darwin's
father enrolled him in Christ's College
at Cambridge with hopes of getting Darwin
to become a member of the clergy. Although
Darwin stayed at Christ's College, he
still preferred the study of nature over
the study of theology and found a good
friend and mentor in the Reverend John
Stevens Henslow who was a professor of
botany and from whom Darwin shared mutual
admiration for the collection of beetles.
Darwin passed his finals in 1831, having
spent most of his time studying nature
and barely scraping by in his academics.
After
his graduation, Charles Darwin hoped to
take a trip to the tropics to study natural
history with some of his classmates. Henslow,
however, decided to surprise Darwin by
recommending him as an unpaid companion
to Robert FitzRoy aboard a ship called
the HMS Beagle. The journey was to take
two years and planned to chart the coast
of South America. Although Darwin's father
initially disagreed, he eventually allowed
young Darwin to sail aboard the Beagle.
The
voyage of the Beagle lasted five years,
two thirds of which Darwin spent on land.
He made lengthy observations about geological
formations as well as plant and animal
species and he sent many samples back
to Cambridge along with his notes and
theories on the samples. These observations,
along with his samples, notes, and journals,
helped establish Darwin as a knowledgeable
naturalist. Through his continued reading
of various books on nature, geology, and
evolution combined with his observations
of plants and animals, Darwin began developing
his own ideas about species and the connections
between different animals. His ideas blossomed
even more after he visited the Galapagos
islands and noticed the slight variations
between common bird and tortoise species
on different islands.
Charles
Darwin's observations of different cultures
and customs also gave him new insights
into the human species. After watching
"educated" natives return to
their home land and prefer the basic lifestyles
of their ancestors rather than the English,
"civilized", way of life, Darwin
began to rationalize that not only are
all humans more alike than different,
but we may be more closely related to
animals than previously thought.
Although
Darwin had been at sea for years, his
fame back in England had grown. Henslow
and other naturalists had fueled interest
in the specimens Darwin had sent back
as part of his studies. By the time Darwin
returned to England on October 2, 1836,
he was already a celebrity in the scientific
community. He managed to amass a following
of supportive scientists eager to help
him dissect and analyze his samples and
findings. Although he ran into a number
of scientists from oppositional points
of view, Charles Darwin continued to work
on his theories of evolution and began
creating more complex theories in geology
and soil science.
He
began to overwork and fell victim to heart,
stomach and stress-related illnesses.
Darwin rested for a short time in order
to regain his health, but his enthusiasm
for his studies and inability to find
proper rest kept him symptomatic for the
rest of his life. He eventually became
the Secretary of the Geological Society
in England while finishing his writings
about the voyages of the Beagle and working
diligently on finalizing his findings
on earthworms and evolutionary theories.
Although he was always working, Darwin
decided that marriage was a good idea
and proposed to his cousin, Emma Wedgewood,
a worldly and cultured woman who had been
part of his restoration to health.
Darwin's
most famous book On the Origin of Species
became an instant success when booksellers
agreed to sell it in 1859. Although there
was some opposition to the work, the book
gained massive public interest throughout
the scientific and public communities.
Older scientists and theologians rejected
the work while younger generations of
naturalists embraced Darwin's ideas. He
continued to study and write for the remainder
of his life, eventually publishing a series
of books including The Descent of Man,
The Expression of the Emotions in Man
and Animals, and The Power of Movement
in Plants.
Charles
Darwin died on April 19, 1882 in Kent,
England and was giving a state funeral
as a tribute to his contributions to science
and society. He is buried at Westminster
Abbey in London.
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