Quick Facts
- NAME: Charles Darwin
- OCCUPATION: Biologist
- BIRTH DATE: February 12, 1809
- DEATH DATE: April 19, 1882
- EDUCATION: University of Edinburgh, Cambridge
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Shrewsbury, England
- PLACE OF DEATH: Downe, England
- Full Name: Charles Robert Darwin
Best Known For
Charles Darwin is best known for his work as a naturalist, developing a theory of evolution to explain biological change.
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Charles Darwin - A Fantastic Voyage
Charles Darwin dreamed of traveling the world and an opportunity presented itself with Captain Fitzroy and the HMS Beagle.
Charles Darwin - The Shocking Book
At age 50 Darwin revealed the theory of evolution in the Origin of Species.
Charles Darwin - A Religious Dilemma
Charles Darwin found himself in a dilemma knowing that Emma, his wife and devout Christian, would have difficulty accepting his evolutionary views.
Charles Darwin - Descent Back to Health
Charles Darwin's books finally begin to gain acceptance in the public and intellectual communities helping Darwin overcome his mental anguish.
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Play NowCharles Darwin. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 01:59, May 23, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433.
Charles Darwin. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433 [Accessed 23 May 2013].
"Charles Darwin." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 23 2013, 01:59 http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433.
"Charles Darwin," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433 [accessed May 23, 2013].
"Charles Darwin," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433 (accessed May 23, 2013).
Charles Darwin [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 23] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433.
Charles Darwin, http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433 (last visited May 23, 2013).
Charles Darwin. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/charles-darwin-9266433. Accessed May 23, 2013.
Darwin, however, noticed similarities among species all over the globe, along with variations based on specific locations, leading him to believe that they had gradually evolved from common ancestors. He came to believe that species survived through a process called “natural selection,” where species that successfully adapted to meet the changing requirements of their natural habitat thrived, while those that failed to evolve and reproduce died off.
In 1858,
after years of further scientific investigation, Darwin publically introduced his revolutionary theory of evolution in a letter read at a meeting of the Linnean Society. On November 24, 1859, he published a detailed explanation of his theory in his best-known work, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
Death and Legacy
Following a lifetime of devout research, Charles Darwin died at his family home, Down House, in London, on April 19, 1882, and was buried at Westminster Abbey. During the next century, DNA studies revealed evidence of his theory of evolution, although controversy surrounding its conflict with Creationism—the religious view that all of nature was born of God—still abounds today.
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