Charles Darwin: Facts and Information

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For every religious belief there is bound to be a rebel: Man is the most inquisitive creature on Earth. It is this trait of Man that differentiates him from animals. Man has always been in quest of new discoveries, inventions and theories of life. Religious beliefs used to have the upper hand in those olden days of the early part of the nineteenth century. Religion had its own way of life and there were many unexplained mysteries about life. One such enigmatic mystery has always been the theory of evolution of Man. Any school of thought different from the religious beliefs was always frowned upon vehemently. There are certain people in history that can be called as rebels. One such man was the noted English naturalist Charles Darwin.

Early days in the life of Charles Darwin: Charles Darwin was born to English parents on February 12, 1809. His father was a doctor and hence naturally liked to see his son become one too. Charles was terrified at the sight of blood and had an inclination towards geology and botany. This interest towards natural sciences made him set sail on the HMS Beagle, a naval survey ship, to collect plant and animal specimens from the various islands the ship visited. One such landmark island was the Galapagos Island in the Pacific Ocean. This island was home to a variety of fauna and flora as well as different species of animal life.

Experiments leading to the theory of Evolution of Humans: Darwin noticed from the samples he collected during his sojourn that animals and birds from different islands had distinctive physical traits which were unique to each island. This prompted him to go deep into the matter and after extensive research came up with his own theory of natural selections which formed the basis of the theory of Evolution of Man. Darwin observed that the human species evolved from apes which was contrary to the religious beliefs about the birth of Man. This was a startling discovery which he did not publish immediately as his theories would have been termed controversial and would have turned the religious beliefs upside down.

His theory had its own share of controversies: However in 1859, Darwin published his work “On the Origin of Species” which became a major talking point as it challenged the theory of creation according to the Bible. Naturally his works were frowned upon by the clergy with his own country being in the forefront in criticizing his theories vociferously. Subsequently his theory of natural selection was accepted by the scientific world with the discoveries of new fossils which lent credence to his findings.

Important works of Charles Darwin: Other important works of Charles Darwin includes “The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals”. “The Power of Movement in Plants” and “The Formation of Vegetable Mould Through the Action of Worms” and so on. Each of his works has been path breaking in their respective fields. It is believed that the famous term “The survival of the fittest” was attributed to Darwin but the fact is that this quote was coined by one of his contemporaries Herbert Spencer, a philosopher.

Facts about Charles Darwin few people know: There are certain personal facts about Charles Darwin which are quite intriguing. One such fact is that he married his first cousin Emma Wedgewood and that the couple were extremely fascinated by Buddhism and respected the religion greatly. Charles Darwin was born on the same day as the former US President Abraham Lincoln. They had many similarities, the most notable among them being their opposition to slavery. The British clergy acknowledged Darwin’s works and apologized to him a good 126 years after he passed away. The British Government honoured him by affixing his image on the UK 10 pound notes. His statue adorns the main hall of the London’s Natural History Museum.

The passing away of a legend: Charles Darwin passed away on April 19, 1882 in Downe, England after a massive heart attack.

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