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Early Life
Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809. He was one of five children of Dr. Robert Darwin who was a well-known physician (Ruse 2008). Darwin's fascination with science began at an early age. -
Darwin Attends Medical School
At the age of 16, Darwin was sent to a medical school in Europe where he was expected to become a physician, like his father and grandfather (Ruse 2008). He quickly became bored with his schooling. Darwin wrote an autobiography that was later published by his son. In it he wrote, “Nothing could have been worse for the development of my mind than Dr. Butler’s school, as it was strictly classical, nothing else being taught, except a little ancient geography and history.” -
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Darwin Travels the World
In 1828 Darwin enrolled at the University of Cambridge where he befriended several science professors (Ruse 2008). With the help of these professors, in 1831, Darwin set out to travel the world for five years, while studying the lands and the inhabiting animals (Ruse 2008). It was during this trip that Darwin began forming the idea that Victorian-era animal origin theories were incorrect (OpenMind 2018).
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On the Origin of Species is Published
After years of research and coming to terms with the fact that his belief of origins contradicted his religious beliefs, On the Origin of Species was first released in 1859 (Allen 2010). This book “...precipitated a major change in scientific thinking about the origin of life…” (Francis, 2007). In it, Darwin outlines both evolution and natural selection (Ruse 2008). This work forever changed the scientific community and the world’s views about the history of man. -
Death
Charles Darwin dies at home on April 19, 1882 (Ruse 2008).