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Born
Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England into a wealthy family. He was the fifth of six children. -
First Scientific Speech
At 18 years old, Darwin observed cilia moving the microscopic larvae of a species of the bryozoan Flustra. Darwin then told another scientist, Robert Grant, who later claimed the work as his own. Later that year, Grant gave thanks to Darwin in his written publication in the Edinburgh Journal of Science, which became the first time Charles' name was in print. -
Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London
In 1839, he formulated his biological theory that man increases faster than his subsistence, leaving man with severe struggle of existence, allowing natural selection effect whatever lies within its scope. He related this to his ideas and findings of species relating to localities, his enquiries into animal breeding, and ideas of Natural "laws of harmony". Together, these allowed him the great honor to be elected into the Royal Society of London. -
Received the Royal Medal of the Royal Society
Darwin was awarded the Royal Medal, also known as The Queen's Medal, for his achievements for the three volume work on the geology of the Beagle Voyage and his Barnacle Research that was still a work in progress. The Royal Medal is awarded for the most important contributions to the advancement of natural knowledge. For Darwin, this award created his reputation as a biologist. -
First goes Public on Views of Evolution
Charles Darwin first went public about his views on the evolution of species. The papers of Darwin and Wallace were read at a meeting of the Linnean Society in London. The readings included extracts from two sections of Darwin's 1839 manuscript on species variation, an abstract from a letter Darwin wrote that again stated his views on species variation, and the essay that Wallace wrote titled - "On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart indefinitely from the Original Type." -
"The Descent of Man" was Published
Darwin's second great book on evolutionary theory, following his first book, "On The Origin of Species". In The "Descent of Man", Darwin applies evolutionary theory to human evolution, and details his theory of sexual selection. The book discusses many related issues, including evolutionary psychology, evolutionary ethics, differences between human races, differences between sexes, the superiority of men to women, and the relevance of the evolutionary theory to society. -
Died
Darwin was given a state funeral and was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to John Hershel and Isaac Newton. Darwin was perceived as a national hero who had changed thinking and scientists now accepted evolution as descent with modification. -
The Theory of Natural Selection