Darwin
The great and famous Charles Darwin laid the foundation of modern evolutionary theory with his concept of the development of all forms of life through the slow-working process of natural selection. His work was of major influence on the life and earth sciences and on modern thought in general. In his lifetime, he single-handedly changed the way we see the world. His theories led to the study of the modern evolutionary theory of the world. The world as we know it, was changed by Charles Darwin.
Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England, in 1809. He was the son of Doctor Robert Darwin. Darwin’s father was a wealthy aristocrat, as well as a good investor. His mother fell very ill and passed away when he was just eight years old. His father sought to teach him how to act like a proper gentlemen as to not be an embarrassment to the family because, like all wealthy families at that time, they had an image to upkeep. Robert Darwin sent Charles to the Shrewsbury School in 1822. Like many modern students, Charles Darwin exceeded only in subjects that intrigued him. His lack of interest resulted in poor grades. And although his father was a physician, Darwin was uninterested in medicine and simply could not stomach the sight of surgery. He did eventually obtain a degree in theology from Cambridge University, although theology was not his main interest. John Henslow, a professor at Cambridge University, helped start Darwin’s path as a naturalist. Henslow eventually sent Darwin a letter of gratitude while he was away on his voyage.
In 1831, the British government sent it’s ship the Beagle on a 5 year expedition that would take them first along then coastline of South America and eventually around the world. As was common on such expeditions, the Beagle would carry along a naturalist to observe and collect geological and biological specimens encountered along the route. The Galapagos Islands were important to the formation of Darwin's theory of...