Charles Darwin
British Naturalist
Born
on February 12, 1809 - Died on 19 April,
1882
Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He was the British naturalist who became famous for his
theories of evolution. Like several scientists before him, Darwin believed all
the life on earth evolved (developed gradually) over millions of years from a
few common ancestors.
From 1831 to 1836 Darwin served as
naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle on
a British science expedition around the world. In
South America Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to
modern species. On the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean he noticed many
variations among plants and animals of the same general type as those in South
America. The expedition visited places around
the world, and Darwin studied
plants and animals everywhere he went, collecting specimens for further study.
Upon his return to
London Darwin conducted
thorough research of his notes and specimens. Out of this study grew several
related theories: one, evolution did occur; two, evolutionary change was
gradual, requiring thousands to millions of years; three, the primary mechanism
for evolution was a process called natural
selection; and four, the millions of species
alive today arose from a single original life form through a branching process
called "specialization."
Darwin's theory of evolutionary selection holds that variation within
species occurs randomly and that the survival or extinction of each organism is
determined by that organism's ability to adapt to its environment. He set these
theories forth in his book called, "On
the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection,
or the Preservation of
Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life" (1859) or
"The Origin of the Species"
for short. After publication of Origin of Species, Darwin
continued to write on botany, geology, and zoology
until his death in 1882. He is buried in Westminster
Abbey.
Darwin's
work had a tremendous impact on religious thought.
Many people strongly opposed the idea of evolution because it conflicted with
their religious convictions. Darwin avoided
talking about the theological and sociological aspects of his work, but other
writers used his theories to support their own theories about society. Darwin
was a reserved, thorough, hard working scholar who
concerned himself with the feelings and motions not only of his family, but
friends and peers as well.
It has been supposed that Darwin renounced evolution and converted to Christianity on his deathbed. Shortly after his death, a Lady Hope claimed she visited Darwin on his deathbed, and witnessed the renunciation. Her story was printed in a Boston newspaper and subsequently spread. Lady Hope's story was refuted by Darwin's daughter Henrietta who stated, "I was present at his deathbed ... He never recanted any of his scientific views, either then or earlier."