Happy Birthday Charles Darwin
Today, Thursday 12 February, we celebrate 200 years since Charles Darwin, one of the world's most creative and influential thinkers, was born.
Darwin200 is a national programme of events honouring his scientific ideas and their impact. The celebrations have already begun and will continue until 24 November 2009, the 150th anniversary of the publication of his famous book, On the Origin of Species.
About Charles Darwin
Through a combination of meticulous observation and innovative thinking, Darwin came up with an explanation for the incredible variety of living things: that evolution was driven by natural selection. By this process, organisms most suited to their environment survive and reproduce and pass their advantages to their offspring.
Title page of a first edition of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
'There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.'Charles Darwin
Although Darwin had already presented his theory to fellow scientists, it was the publication of his book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, in 1859 that shook the rest of the world.
'We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities... still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.'Charles Darwin
Initially greeted with controversy, Darwin's ideas now form the foundation of modern biology.
'It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent on each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us.'Charles Darwin
A natural life
A beetle specimen collected by Charles Darwin.
Charles Darwin was born on 12 February 1809. As a child he loved the outdoors and collecting beetles.
He abandoned his studies of medicine to study theology but then, when he was just 22 years old, joined a voyage around the world on the ship, the Beagle. During this five-year adventure, he keenly observed and collected hundreds of different types of plants, animals, fossils and rocks.
He spent the rest of his life carefully studying and interpreting what he had seen. Darwin came up with his original explanation for the variety of living things, the theory of evolution by natural selection, soon after his return from the Beagle voyage, but it was many years before he had accumulated enough evidence to publish his work.
'I can remember the very spot in the road, whilst in my carriage, when to my joy the solution occurred to me; and this was long after I had come to Down. The solution, as I believe, is that the modified offspring of all dominant and increasing forms tend to become adapted to many and highly diversified places in the economy of nature.'Charles Darwin
Although Darwin is the most familiar name associated with evolution, he was only persuaded to publish his work when another young scientist, Alfred Russel Wallace, came forward having independently come up with a similar explanation for how evolution occurs.
Eand Josiah Wedgwood. Both were members of the famous Lunar Society.
Darwin would still recognise Shrewsbury today – as many of the medieval buildings, shuts and passages he knew still exist and his old school (now the library) even has a statue to the great man outside its entrance. The fields and river that surrounds the town are still open areas filled with flora and fauna to inspire the future generations.
‘I was Born a Naturalist’
Darwin himself declared that he was born a naturalist, but even he would acknowledge that his childhood experiences of growing up in Shropshire combined with his liberal upbringing helped to create the perfect inquisitive mind.
The Darwins were keen gardeners and the young Charles would often be found in the garden looking at bugs and beetles. He would also go to the River Severn that surrounds the town exploring the fields and floodplains, or go to the Dingle set in the heart of the Quarry Park.
Shropshire has rocks from more periods of geology than anywhere else in the world, a point not lost on the young Darwin. The coral reef that became Wenlock Edge still yields up marine fossils laid down when Shropshire was part of the Caribbean. The glacial meres and scars that shaped the Shropshire landscape and deposits they left (and the Bellstone in particular) convinced Darwin that the world is much older than the popular thinking at the time.
His curiosity, natural inquisitiveness and desire to understand his world made Charles Darwin the ideal candidate for his voyage of discovery on HMS Beagle.
volution Began in Shrewsbury!
Charles Darwin is Shrewsbury’s most famous son and recently voted as one of the greatest Britons. Born in Shrewsbury on the 12th February 1809 at Mount House, he was the son of Robert, a well respected doctor, and Susannah a member of the Wedgwood family. His formative years were well spent and his love and curiosity of the natural world was positively encouraged and flourished. Darwin lived in Shrewsbury until he was 27.
Darwin attended school at 13 Claremont and was then privileged to go to Shrewsbury School. Although, as his headmaster Dr Butler revealed, he had little hope of filling his head with Latin or Greek. Indeed as early as nine the young Darwin had started observing and recording things he found in the natural world that surrounded him.
Darwin’s grandfathers were equally remarkable men – Erasmus Darwin and Josiah Wedgwood. Both were members of the famous Lunar Society.
Darwin would still recognise Shrewsbury today – as many of the medieval buildings, shuts and passages he knew still exist and his old school (now the library) even has a statue to the great man outside its entrance. The fields and river that surrounds the town are still open areas filled with flora and fauna to inspire the future generations.The first part of the Darwin Season, centred around the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth on 12 February, extends until April. More programme details and clips will be available soon.
The Season will then continue later in the year - 24 November is the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'On the Origin of Species'.
TThe first part of the Darwin Season, centred around the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth on 12 February, extends until April. More programme details and clips will be available soon.
The Season will then continue later in the year - 24 November is the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'On the Origin of Species'.he first part of the Darwin Season, centred around the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth on 12 February, extends until April. More programme details and clips will be available soon.
The Season will then continue later in the year - 24 November is the 150th anniversary of the publication of 'On the Origin of Species'.
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