Who Is Charles Darwin?

Charles Darwin is the most famous evolution scientist and often gets credit for the Theory of Evolution.

Charles Robert Darwin was born February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire England to Robert and Susannah Darwin. He was the fifth of six Darwin children. His mother died when he was eight, so he was sent off to boarding school in Shrewsbury where he was a mediocre student at best.

Being from an affluent family of doctors, his father sent Charles and his older brother to the University of Edinburgh to study medicine. However, Charles could not stand the sight of blood and so instead he started studying natural history, which angered his father.

He then was sent off to Christ's College in Cambridge to become a clergyman. While studying, he started a beetle collection and kept up his love of nature. His mentor, John Stevens Henslow, recommended Charles as a Naturalist on a voyage with Robert FitzRoy.

Darwin's famous journey on the HMS Beagle allowed him time to study natural specimens from across the globe and collect some to study back in England. He also read books by Charles Lyell and Thomas Malthus, which influenced his early thoughts on evolution.

Upon returning to England in 1838, Darwin married his first cousin Emma Wedgwood and began years of researching and cataloging his specimens. At first, Charles was reluctant to share his findings and ideas about evolution. It wasn't until 1854 that he collaborated with Alfred Russell Wallace to jointly present the idea of evolution and natural selection.

Darwin officially published his theories in On the Origin of the Species in 1859. He had been struggling with health issues for quite some time, so he felt the need to get his work out to the masses. He knew it would be controversial and tried to avoid speaking in public about evolution, but instead talked only about descent from a common ancestor.

Darwin's work instantly became famous and revered by scientists across the globe. He wrote a few more books on the topic in the remaining years of his life. Charles Darwin died in 1882 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He was buried as a national hero.