Charles Darwin

1809

On the same day as Abraham Lincoln.

💡 Did you know? Darwin was born on the same day as Abraham Lincoln: 12 February 1809.

On the Origin of Species

It founded modern evolutionary biology.

💡 Did you know? „On the Origin of Species“ sold out on its first day and sparked a revolution in thought.

evolution (natural selection)

Species change over generations.

💡 Did you know? Darwin's theory of evolution explains life's diversity through natural selection, without a designing creator.

HMS Beagle

The voyage lasted almost five years.

💡 Did you know? For five years Darwin sailed around the world on HMS Beagle: the voyage became the basis of his life's work.

Galápagos

In the Pacific off the coast of Ecuador.

💡 Did you know? On the remote Galápagos Islands, Darwin found the crucial clues to the mutability of species.

finches

Their beaks differed depending on their food.

💡 Did you know? The differently shaped beaks of „Darwin's finches“ on each island became a textbook example of evolution.

natural selection

The core of the evolutionary mechanism.

💡 Did you know? „Survival of the fittest“ means not the strongest, but the best adapted to its environment.

almost 20 years

For fear of the social uproar.

💡 Did you know? Fearing the uproar, Darwin held back his theory for almost 20 years: until a young researcher hit on nearly the same idea.

Westminster Abbey

Near Isaac Newton, in 1882.

💡 Did you know? Despite his controversial theory, Darwin was honoured with a state funeral in Westminster Abbey: near Isaac Newton.

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin founded the theory of evolution with „On the Origin of Species“ and changed our understanding of life forever.

💡 Did you know? He was born on the same day as Abraham Lincoln and is buried in Westminster Abbey near Isaac Newton.