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Birth Date
Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. -
The Beagle Voyage (1831-1836)
Darwin set out on his circumnavigation of the world in 1831 and finished in 1836. During this time Darwin studied plants, animals, fossils and geological formations. He made several important finds during the voyage including gigantic fossils of extinct mammals. Fossil extraction became a hobby for Darwin. It pushed him into thinking of the primeval world and what had caused those giant beasts to die out. -
Theory of Natural Selection
Darwin noticed similarities among species with variations based on specific locations. In September 1838, he wrote that "population increases geometrically, whereas food production rises arithmetically and how some members of society were able to survive difficult living conditions". Darwin realized that population explosions would lead to a struggle for resources and that the competition would then eliminate the unfit. He applied the idea to nature and called it “natural selection”. -
Evolution of Plants
Charles Darwin carried out thorough investigations into plants. The first of his series of books, Fertilisation of Orchids, which was published in 1862. This book demonstrated the power of natural selection by explaining how complex ecological relationships resulted in the coevolution of orchids and insects. He was also the first person to was the first to provide overwhelming experimental support in favour of the idea that inbreeding may have severe detrimental effects on progeny. -
Darwin's Largest Contribution to Psychology.
Charles Darwin's most important work was in a book he wrote called "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals", published in 1872. It is considered to be Darwin’s main contribution to psychology. Darwin wrote about animal origins of human characteristics to establish a continuity of emotions and expressions between humans and animals. -
Date of Death
Darwin died April 19, 1882 in Downe, Kent.
