Charles Darwin (1809-1882) was born in Shrewsbury,
England. His father, Robert Darwin, was a
physician, the son of
Erasmus Darwin, a
poet,
philosopher, and
naturalist. Charles's mother, Susannah Wedgwood Darwin, died when he was eight years old.
Darwin originally studied medicine at Edinburgh University. He later went to Cambridge to prepare to become a clergyman in the Church of England. After receiving his degree, Darwin accepted an invitation to serve as an unpaid naturalist on the H.M.S. Beagle, which departed on a five-year scientific expedition to the Pacific coast of South America on 31 December, 1831.
Darwin's research resulting from this voyage formed the basis of his most famous book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Published in 1859, the work aroused a storm of controversy. Darwin's work, which attempted to explain the repeating patterns observed in the biological diversity of the natural world, was seen to challenge contemporary beliefs about the creation of life on earth.
Darwin continued to write and publish his works on biology throughout his life. Thought now to have suffered from panic disorder, as well as from Chagas' disease contracted during his travels in South America, Darwin was plagued with fatigue and intestinal sickness for the rest of his life. He died on 19 April, 1882, and lies buried in Westminster Abbey.
His other important writings are:
- The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex, 1874
- The variation of animals and plants under domestication, 1875
- The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, 1878
- The expression of the emotions in man and animals, 1890
Online references:
http://www.literature.org/authors/darwin-charles/
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/science/parshall/darwin.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/