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Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was the English naturalist who proposed the
theory of evolution by Natural Selection.
Charles Darwin was born on
England.
On his father's side,
he was the grandson of Erasmus Darwin (who is himself famous as
a natural philosopher), and on his mother's, the grandson of
Josiah Wedgwood (famous for the industrialization of pottery manufacture).
Charles Darwin was educated at
Edinburgh and
Cambridge
Universities, and famously went on a 5 year (1831 to 1836) voyage with
HMS Beagle - while the ship surveyed and charted coasts, Darwin
investigated geology and collected natural history specimens.
HMS Beagle painted by Conrad Martens:
Over the next few years, Darwin gradually developed his theory
of Natural Selection.
Darwin however held back from publishing his theory, perhaps
noting the storm of controversy caused by a popular-science
book about Lamarkian evolution,
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation,
which was anonymously published (but written by a Scottish journalist,
Robert Chambers). Although, Darwin considered the science of
Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation to be weak,
it did allow to further develop his own work, and anticipate
potential counter-arguments.
In 1856, through his friend, the eminent geologist
Sir Charles Lyell, Darwin became aware of the work of
Alfred Russel Wallace, who seemed to be thinking along similar
lines to Darwin. Lyell urged Darwin to publish in order to establish
priority, and Darwin began work on a short paper - which eventually
grew into a large book. In 1857, Darwin sent an abstract of his book
to the American botanist, Asa Grey.
In 1858, while Darwin's own book was still only half complete,
Darwin received a paper from Wallace describing Natural Selection.
As a result, although Darwin himself could not attend since his baby son
had died of scarlet fever,
Darwin's friends Lyell and Joseph Dalton Hooker, made a joint presentation
to the Linnean Society on
July 1st.
Finally, in 1859,
Darwin published
"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life"
(usually abbreviated to simply
"On the Origin of Species "
which was an immediate success, but also caused a storm of controversy.
"On the Origin of Species"
soon became a staple scientific text, and was translated into
many different languages. Despite a number of illnesses,
Darwin continued to publish many other books through the
remainder his life.
Charles Darwin in 1868:
Darwin died in 1882, aged 71, and was given a state funeral
at
Westminister Abbey
(one of only five non-royals to ever receive this honor).
Even during his lifetime, many species and geographical places and locations
have been named after him, and this has continued through to the present
day. Many biographical and fictional works about Darwin's life have been
written, he has also been remembered on British currency
(including a special commemorative two pound coin issued in
2009)
and by Darwin Day, which marks the anniversary of his birth.
During Darwin's life,
the main opposition to his theory came from
religious people, and even today there
are many religious people who do not accept the idea of evolution or
Darwin's ideas in particular.
(although in
2008
the Church of England issued an apology stating
"for misunderstanding you and, by getting our first reaction wrong, encouraging others to misunderstand you still").
As far as the scientific community is concerned,
although the idea of evolution was quickly and widely accepted,
it took quite a few years until Darwin's mechanism, Natural Selection,
was generally accepted as the process by which evolution occurred - indeed
it was not until the development of the "Modern Evolutionary Synthesis"
(which combined Darwin's theory of Natural Selection with Mendelian genetics)
in the 1930s.
Today however, although there remains debate about various detailed technical
issues, Natural Selection and Mendelian genetics together form the basis
of our understanding of biology.
Caricature of Charles Darwin as an ape
(from The Hornet magazine 1871):
Related Information & Resources
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By Charles Darwin
Signet
Released: September 2nd, 2003
Cream Mass Market Paperback (576 pages)
 | List Price: $7.95*
Lowest New Price: $6.26*
In Stock*
*(As of 12:54 Pacific 6 Sep 2024 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
The Origin of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition- Manufacturer: Signet
- Brand: Signet
- ISBNs: 0451529065, 9780451529060
- EAN: 9780451529060
- PartNumber: 1729756
Details:- Product Category: Mass Market Paperback
- Format: Illustrated
- Edition: 150th Anniversary ed.
- Number of Pages: 576
- Author: Charles Darwin
- Publication Date: September 2nd, 2003
- Release Date: September 2nd, 2003
Physical Description:- Size: 6.75 inches by 4.19 inches by 0.94 inches
- Weight: 2.314853751 Pounds
- Color: Cream
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By Charles Darwin
Fingerprint! Publishing
Released: January 5th, 2021
Hardcover (576 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $19.99*
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The Origin of Species: Deluxe Hardbound Edition- Manufacturer: Fingerprint! Publishing
- ISBN: 9354402259
- EAN: 9789354402258
Details:- Hardcover
- Edition: Deluxe
- Number of Pages: 576
- Author: Charles Darwin
- Publication Date: January 5th, 2021
- Release Date: January 5th, 2021
Physical Description:- Size: 5.5 inches by 8.5 inches by 1.6 inches
- Weight: 1.212542441 pounds
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By Charles Darwin
CREATESPACE
Released: June 28th, 2011
Paperback (136 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $6.95*
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The Descent Of Man- Manufacturer: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
- Brand: CREATESPACE
- ISBN: 1463645961
- EAN: 9781463645960
Details:- Paperback
- Number of Pages: 136
- Author: Charles Darwin
- Publication Date: June 28th, 2011
- Release Date: June 28th, 2011
Physical Description:- Size: 10.0 Inches by 7.0 Inches by 0.31 Inches
- Weight: 0.55 Pounds
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By Charles Darwin
Penguin
Released: June 29th, 2004
Grey Paperback (864 pages)
 | List Price: $21.00*
Lowest New Price: $17.62*
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The Descent of Man (Penguin Classics)- Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
- Brand: Penguin
- ISBN: 0140436316
- EAN: 9780140436310
- PartNumber: 1720335
Details:- Paperback
- Edition: Reprint
- Number of Pages: 864
- Author: Charles Darwin
- Publication Date: June 29th, 2004
- Release Date: June 29th, 2004
Physical Description:- Size: 7.8 inches by 5.1 inches by 2.0 inches
- Weight: 1.3007273458 Pounds
- Color: Grey
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By Charles Darwin
Natural History Museum, London
Released: November 1st, 2019
Hardcover (520 pages)
 | List Price: $21.95*
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On the Origin of Species- Manufacturer: Natural History Museum, London
- Brand: Natural History Museum, London
- ISBN: 0565095021
- EAN: 9780565095024
Details:- Hardcover
- Edition: None
- Number of Pages: 520
- Author: Charles Darwin
- Publication Date: November 1st, 2019
- Release Date: November 1st, 2019
Physical Description:- Size: 7.75 Inches by 5.0 Inches by 1.0 Inches
- Weight: 2.314853751 pounds
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By Charles Darwin
W. W. Norton & Company
Released: September 17th, 1993
Paperback (224 pages)
 | List Price: $14.95*
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The Autobiography of Charles Darwin: 1809-1882- Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
- Brand: W. W. Norton & Company
- ISBN: 0393310698
- EAN: 9780393310696
- PartNumber: 7672479
Details:- Paperback
- Edition: Reissue
- Number of Pages: 224
- Author: Charles Darwin
- Publication Date: September 17th, 1993
- Release Date: September 17th, 1993
Physical Description:- Size: 8.3 inches by 5.5 inches by 0.7 inches
- Weight: 0.46 pounds
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By Charles Darwin
Fingerprint! Publishing
Released: January 12th, 2013
Paperback (500 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $11.99*
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The Origin of Species- Manufacturer: Fingerprint! Publishing
- Model: FLAPK9788172344887
- ISBNs: 8172344880, 9788172344887
- EAN: 9788172344887
- PartNumber: FLAPK9788172344887
Details:- Paperback
- Number of Pages: 500
- Author: Charles Darwin
- Publication Date: January 12th, 2013
- Release Date: January 12th, 2013
Physical Description:- Size: 0.9842519675 Inches by 8.661417314 Inches by 5.905511805 Inches
- Weight: 0.86641668966 Pounds
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"
which was an immediate success, but also caused a storm of controversy.
