Charles Darwin

Proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection, reshaping the foundations of the life sciences.

Life

Young naturalist

Darwin came from a wealthy family of physicians in England. He first studied medicine and then theology, but his real interest lay in natural history. Geologists at the time were embracing Lyell's gradualism, and although the idea that species were fixed and unchanging still prevailed, new evidence from fossils and geographic distribution had left many scholars puzzled.

HMS Beagle

In 1831 he joined the five-year round-the-world voyage of HMS Beagle as a naturalist, studying the geology and fossils of South America and the differences among species on the Galapagos Islands. After returning home he spent more than 20 years gathering evidence and studying barnacles and variation in domesticated animals and plants; only when Wallace sent him a similar paper did he publish On the Origin of Species in 1859.

On the Origin of Species

He argued that species diverge from common ancestors, with natural selection as the main mechanism, bringing the diversity of life under a single natural explanation. The book sparked fierce religious and social controversy, and his theory was for a time distorted into Social Darwinism. The modern evolutionary synthesis combined it with genetics, and it became the foundational framework of the life sciences.

Legacy

Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection fundamentally changed humanity's understanding of the origin of life and of its own place in nature. It is regarded as one of the most important theories in the history of science and serves as the unifying framework of modern biology. His rigorous accumulation of evidence and cautious approach to publication are widely admired. In the social sphere his theory was distorted into "Social Darwinism" to justify racism and colonial expansion, but this was not what Darwin's theory actually meant.

Major works & achievements

• Sailed around the world on HMS Beagle
• On the Origin of Species
• The Descent of Man
• Proposed the theory of natural selection

Did you know? He was born on the same day as Lincoln: both were born on February 12, 1809.

Key dates

• 1831Set sail on HMS Beagle
• 1835Explored the Galápagos Islands
• 1836Returned home after circling the globe
• 1839Publishes his voyage journal; elected Fellow of the Royal Society
• 1842Wrote first draft of the theory of natural selection
• 1858Presented a joint paper with Wallace
• 1859Published On the Origin of Species
• 1871Published The Descent of Man
• 1882Died; buried in Westminster Abbey