Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882)

• Charles Robert Darwin was born on 12 February,1809 fifth of six children of Robert Waring Darwin and Susannah,daughter of Josiah Wedgwood.
• His mother died ,aged 52 when he was 8 years old.
• In 1822,he entered Shrewsbury School as a boarding student.
• In 1825,he left Shrewsbury School and went to Edinburgh University to read medicine with his brother,Erasmus.
• Two years later,he entered Christ's College,Cambridge.
• In 1831,he passed his BA without Honours and remained at Cambridge for further two terms where he befriended J.S.Henslow (1796-1861), a clergyman and botanist.Through Henslow,Darwin was given an opportunity to travel to South America and other countries as a naturalist with a company of Captain Robert FitzRoy of HMS Beagle. Despite his father's strong objections which were later turned down by Josiah Wedgwood II,his uncle in favour of him, he was finally allowed to travel with Capt.FitzRoy on the HMS Beagle.On 27th December 1831,he departed Plymouth for 5 year journey.During the journey,he started collecting fossils and other geological sources wherever he could find,and sent some boxes of them to his mentor,Rev.J.S.Henslow at Cambridge for further investigation.It was said that it was in the Galapagos Islands that he began to question about the origin of various species at geologically formed new island as the Galapagos.Despite his constant seasickness,he took part in numerous meeting with local governers and representatives of the British subject. This 5 year voyage transformed his life completely from an aimless young man to a man of full ambition. His literal correspondence from this period until his death has been published as The Correspondence of Charles Darwin,which consists of many personal correspondence to his family,friends,and his fellow scientists.
• In 1836,he returned to Britain on 2nd October.
• In 1839,he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 24th January, and 5 days later married his cousin, Emma Wedgwood.
• In the same year,Journal of Researches into Geology and Natural History of the Various Countries visited by H.M.S. Beagle was published as volume 3 of Capt.FitzRoy's Narrative,later reissued as The Voyage of the Beagle.
• In 1842,he started writing his first sketch of the Origin of Species.
• In 1844,he developed his first sketch into more constructed essay and asked his wife,Emma to prepare publishing it in the event of his death.
• In 1859,he published,with much reluctance,the Origin of Species which created so much havoc in victorian society,esp.the people of divinity.
• In 1860,at Oxford meeting Thomas Henry Huxley(1825-1895,father of Sir Julian Sorell Huxley,biologist and Aldous Leonard Huxley,novelist) clashed with Bishop of Oxford,Samuel Wilberforce over C.Darwin's theory of evolution,and won over him with a joke.
• In 1882,he died on 19th April.

• Darwin,Charles.,The Origin of Species ( ed.by G.Beer,Oxford University Press,Oxford 1996)
• "" "" .,Voyage of the Beagle (ed.by J.Browne & M.Neve,Penguin Classics, London 1989)
• "" "" .,Charles Darwin's Letters: a selection (ed.by F.Burkhardt,Cambridge University Press,Cambridge 1996)

• Sir Francis Galton, CD's cousin was equally interested in biology, however unlike CD went on to study more obscure field of the subject, Hereditary and Intelligence.The term,Eugenics was coined by him for new science for improvement of the inborn qualities.
• Galton's idea of genetics was adopted by many 'racist'political leaders such as Hitler, Churchill ( recently revealed), and others many of whom attempted to eliminate the race of unsuitability (although Hitler did the worst).

Relevant links

• Charles Darwin's Ancestors
• Darwinism
• Richard Dawkins
• The British Library,Portico
• The British Museum
• Natural History Museum
• University College,London
• University Library,London
• Sir Francis Galton
• The Evolutionist
• Nature magazine
• New Scientistmagazine

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Last  on 01/01/03