Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England, on February 9, 1809. His father was a wealthy doctor and Charles planned to follow in his footsteps enrolling in medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1825. He was appalled at the brutal conditions of surgery and decided not to pursue this career. He learned taxidermy from a freed black slave, who also told him of the wonders of the rainforest in South America. In his second year at the university, he became interested in natural history and joined the Plinian Society.

He did not do well in his studies and his father enrolled him in Christ’s College, where he would study to become a clergyman. Darwin preferred outdoor pursuits and became very interested in studying the beetle, gaining valuable knowledge from Reverend John Stevens Hemslow. He did do well in his studies, but was not able to return to college for the next year and in order to prepare for a planned trip to Tenerife, he enrolled in a geology course. Due to his association with Reverend Henslow, he was recommended to take on the post of unpaid naturalist on an expedition to chart the South American coastline. Even though his father was vehemently opposed to this change in plans, Darwin went anyway.

This journey to South America was on board the HMS Beagle. The trip took five years, most of which Darwin spent on land. He collected numerous specimens, some of which he sent back to Cambridge. He wrote a journal of his activities, The Voyage of the Beagle, in which he described many of his experiences with the land and the people.

The Beagle returned to England in 1836 and Darwin was a celebrity. He wanted to find naturalist to help him catalog the numerous specimens he had sent back and brought back with him. He spent many hours classifying the specimens of birds and with the help of others was able to identify different subspecies. Through his work, he was sure that the new creatures he had discovered had been altered in some way so that they could adapt to the new environments. This was the origin of his theory of natural selection. He wrote many essays and papers on the topic, some of which were published anonymously, such as the Vestiges of Natural History of Creation.

When he published his findings in Origin of the Species, there was much reaction to the book. Church leaders condemned it, but the younger generation seemed to embrace the ideas proposed in this book. The book was translated into many languages and sold all over the world.

During this time, Darwin married and had ten children, two of whom dies in infancy and a daughter, Annie, dies at age ten. He was also very ill during the last 22 years of his life. He died in Downe, Kent, England on April 19, 1882.