Charles Robert Darwin was an English scientist who became famous for originating the theory of evolution and natural selection.
Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12, 1809. His father was a wealthy physician and his grandfather was a famous poet and physician. His mother’s father was the pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood. As a young boy at boarding school, Darwin hated school and spent his leisure time collecting bird’s eggs, minerals, and other objects.
Charles Darwin studied medicine at Edinburgh University and theology at Christ’s College, Cambridge, but he did not enjoy either subject. While at Cambridge he became acquainted with John Stevens Henslow, his botany professor, who recommended Darwin to the Admiralty, which was sponsoring a sea voyage to survey the west coast of South America and some Pacific islands. Darwin joined the expedition, sponsored by his Wedgwood grandfather, and sailed on the ship HMS Beagle, embarking on December 27, 1831 and returning in 1836. Darwin formed his theory of evolution based on his observations of living species, specimens he collected, and fossils he encountered during the voyage. He was especially interested in the similarities he saw between the species on the Galapagos Islands and the species on the mainland in South America.
Charles Darwin published a number of scientific articles. He is best known for his book The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, which was published in 1859, and which summarizes his theory of evolution and natural selection.
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