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Birth.
Charles Darwin is born in Shrewsbury, England. -
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Medical School
Darwin enrolls into Edinburgh University in Scotland to follow in his father's footsteps to become a Physician. Thankfully Charles was far more interested in the beautiful Fanny Owen and natural sciences. He spent two years pursuing his medical studies before deciding it was not the right path for him. Interestingly enough a big part of why he left was the horrors of surgery in that time, with the lack of anesthetics and modern day technology the operations must have been barbaric. -
Plinian Society, where it all began.
Before leaving Edinburgh University, Darwin discovered the Plinian society, a club at the University of Edinburgh for students interested in natural history. Charles was fascinated by the intellectual debates and discussion of the idea of how man was created not by God, but by gradual change over time. One of the more notable members of this society was Robert Grant, a zoologist credited with being the first person to truly interest Darwin in the theory of Evolution. -
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Thank the beetles!
In 1828 after spending some time traveling around Paris with his uncle Josiah Wedgewood II. Darwin's Father had arranged for him to enroll into Christ's College in Cambridge to become a Clergy. During the first year at Christ's College instead of delving into theology Darwin became fascinated with collecting beetles! over the next two years Darwin continued collecting and researching beetles, also attending Botany Lectures. By 1829 Darwin had no interest in becoming a clergy. -
Graduation.
Despite his lack of interest in Theology, Darwin completed his Bachelor degree in Theology. -
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Five years of discovery and sea sickness
In 1831 an offer arose that Darwin could not refuse. There was an opening on the H.M.S Beagle and Darwin was invited to set sail with the Beagle on there journey to circumnavigate the globe. On this journey the Beagle sailed to a multitude of places including: Cape Verde, Brazil, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina and finally where the most of his observations came from, The Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. The Beagle laid a course and set sail back to England in 1836. -
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Putting it all together.
Now Back in England Darwin had a massive collection of fossils, specimens and data that needed to be sorted out and put together for scientific publication. Over the next Thirty years Darwin would Publish multiple books and publications that would shake the entire world by challenging the long accepted idea of Godly Creation. Some of his biggest publications include: "Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S Beagle", "The Origin of Species" and "Decent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex". -
A gentle revolutionary dies.
at the age of 73, Charles Darwin died. He was buried at Westminster Abbey. -
Education Video on the life of Charles Darwin.
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Citations for Darwins major works.
Charles, Darwin, The Zoology Of the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, during the Years 1832-1836. Wellington, N.Z. :Nova Pacifica, 1980. Print. Darwin, Charles, The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. London :John Murray, 1859. Print. Darwin, Charles, The Descent of Man: And Selection in Relation to Sex. London: J. Murray, 1871. Print.