Charles Roobert Darwin - naturalist, pioneer of the theory of the origin of life on Earth from a common ancestor, through the evolution of each species. Author of the book “The Origin of Species”, a theory about the origin of man, the concepts of natural and sexual selection, the first ethological study “The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals”, a theory about the causes of evolution.

Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shropshire (England) on the Darwin estate Mount House, in Shrewsbury. Robert Darwin, the boy's father, doctor and financier, son of the scientist naturalist Erasmus Darwin. Mother Suzanne Darwin, nee Wedgwood, daughter of the artist Josiah Wedgwood. There were six children in the Darwin family. The family attended the Unitarian Church, but Charles's mother was a member of the Church of England before her marriage.

In 1817, Charles was sent to school. Eight-year-old Darwin became acquainted with natural history and took his first steps in collecting. In the summer of 1817, the boy's mother died. The father sent his sons Charles and Erasmus in 1818 to a boarding school at the Anglican Church - “Shrewsbury School”.

Charles did not make progress in his studies. Languages ​​and literature were difficult. The boy's main passion is collecting and hunting. The moral teachings of his father and teachers did not force Charles to come to his senses, and ultimately they gave up on him. Later, young Darwin developed another hobby - chemistry, for which Darwin was even reprimanded by the head of the gymnasium. Charles Darwin graduated from high school with far from brilliant results.

After graduating from high school in 1825, Charles and his brother Erasmus entered the University of Edinburgh, Faculty of Medicine. Before entering, the young man worked as an assistant in his father’s medical practice.

Darwin studied at the University of Edinburgh for two years. During this time, the future scientist realized that medicine was not his calling. The student stopped going to lectures and became interested in making stuffed animals. Charles' teacher in this matter was the freed slave John Edmonstone, who traveled through the Amazon in the group of naturalist Charles Waterton.

Darwin made his first discoveries in the field of anatomy of marine invertebrates. The young scientist presented his work in March 1827 at a meeting of the Plinian Student Society, of which he had been a member since 1826. It was in this same society that young Darwin became acquainted with materialism. During this time he worked as an assistant to Robert Edmond Grant. He attended Robert Jameson's natural history course, where he gained basic knowledge in geology, and worked with collections belonging to the Museum of the University of Edinburgh.

The news about his son’s neglected studies did not delight Darwin Sr. Realizing that Charles would not become a doctor, Robert Darwin insisted that his son enter Christ's College, Cambridge University. Although visits to the Plinian Society greatly shook Darwin’s faith in the dogmas of the church, he did not resist his father’s will and in 1828 passed the entrance exams to Cambridge.

Studying at Cambridge did not interest Darwin too much. The student's time was occupied by hunting and horse riding. A new hobby appeared - entomology. Charles entered the circle of insect collectors. The future scientist became friends with Cambridge professor John Stevens Henslow, who opened the door to the student into the wonderful world of botany. Henslow introduced Darwin to the leading naturalists of the time.

With his final exams approaching, Darwin began to push through the material he had missed in his core subjects. Took 10th place based on graduation exam results.

Trips

After graduating in 1831, Charles Darwin remained in Cambridge for some time. He spent time studying the works of William Paley's Natural Theology and Alexander von Humboldt's Personal Narrative. These books gave Darwin the idea of ​​traveling to the tropics to study natural sciences in practice. To implement the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe trip, Charles took a geology course from Adam Sedgwick, and then went with the reverend to North Wales to map the rocks.

Upon his arrival from Wales, Darwin received a letter from Professor Henslow with a recommendation to the captain of the expeditionary ship of the English Royal Navy, the Beagle, Robert Fitzroy. The ship at that time was setting off on a voyage to South America, and Darwin could take the place of a naturalist on the crew. True, the position was not paid. Charles's father categorically objected to the trip, and only a word in favor of Charles's uncle, Josiah Wedgwood II, saved the situation. The young naturalist went on a trip around the world.

Charles Darwin's ship was called the Beagle

The journey began in 1831 and ended on October 2, 1836. The crew of the Beagle carried out cartographic surveys of the coasts. Darwin at this time was busy on the shore collecting exhibits for a collection of natural history and geology. He kept a full account of his observations. At every opportunity, the naturalist sent copies of his notes to Cambridge. During his voyage, Darwin collected an extensive collection of animals, a large proportion of which was devoted to marine invertebrates. Described the geological structure of a number of coasts.

Near the Cape Verde Islands, Darwin made a discovery about the influence of time on geological changes, which he used in writing works on geology in the future.

In Patagonia, he discovered the fossilized remains of an ancient mammal called Megatherium. The presence of modern mollusk shells next to it in the rock indicated the recent extinction of the species. The discovery aroused interest in scientific circles in England.

The study of the stepped plains of Patagonia, revealing the ancient strata of the Earth, led Darwin to the conclusion that the statements in Lyell's work "on the persistence and extinction of species" were incorrect.

Off the coast of Chile, the Beagle crew encountered an earthquake. Charles saw the Earth's crust rising above sea level. In the Andes, he found shells of marine invertebrates, which led the scientist to guess about the emergence of barrier reefs and atolls as a result of the tectonic movement of the earth's crust.

On the Galapagos Islands, Darwin noticed differences between local animal species from mainland relatives and representatives of neighboring islands. The objects of the study were Galapagos tortoises and mockingbirds.

In Australia, the strange marsupials and platypuses seen were so different from the fauna of other continents that Darwin seriously thought about another “creator”.

With the Beagle team, Charles Darwin visited the Cocos Islands, Cape Verde, Tenerife, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Tierra del Fuego. Based on the results of the information collected, the scientist created the works “Diary of a Naturalist’s Research” (1839), “Zoology of the Voyage on the Beagle” (1840), “Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs” (1842). He described an interesting natural phenomenon - penitentes (special ice crystals on the glaciers of the Andes).

After returning from his trip, Darwin began collecting evidence for his theory of species change. Living in a deeply religious environment, the scientist understood that with his theory he was undermining the accepted dogmas of the existing world order. He believed in God as a supreme being, but was completely disillusioned with Christianity. His final departure from the church occurred after the death of his daughter Ann in 1851. Darwin did not stop helping the church and providing support to parishioners, but when his family attended church services, he went for a walk. Darwin called himself an agnostic.

In 1838, Charles Darwin became secretary of the Geological Society of London. He held this post until 1841.

Doctrine of descent

In 1837, Charles Darwin began keeping a diary classifying plant varieties and breeds of domestic animals. In it he entered his thoughts on natural selection. The first notes on the origin of species appeared in 1842.

“The Origin of Species” is a chain of arguments supporting the theory of evolution. The essence of the doctrine is the gradual development of populations of species through natural selection. The principles set forth in the work were called “Darwinism” in the scientific community.

In 1856, preparation of an expanded version of the book began. In 1859, 1,250 copies of the work “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Breeds in the Struggle for Life” were published. The book sold out in two days. During Darwin's lifetime, the book was published in Dutch, Russian, Italian, Swedish, Danish, Polish, Hungarian, Spanish and Serbian. Darwin's works are being republished and are still popular today. The natural scientist's theory is still relevant and is the basis of the modern theory of evolution.

Another important work of Darwin is “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection.” In it, the scientist developed a theory about the common ancestor of humans and modern apes. The scientist conducted a comparative anatomical analysis, compared embryological data, on the basis of which he showed the similarity of humans and monkeys (simial theory of anthropogenesis).

In his book On the Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, Darwin described man as part of an evolutionary chain. Man, as a living organism, developed from a lower animal form.

Personal life

Charles Darwin married in 1839. He took marriage seriously. Before making a decision, I wrote down all the pros and cons on a piece of paper. After the verdict “Marry-Marry-Marry”, on November 11, 1838, he proposed to his cousin Emma Wedgwood. Emma is the daughter of Josiah Wedgwood II, uncle of Charles, Member of Parliament and owner of a porcelain factory. At the time of the wedding, the bride turned 30 years old. Before Charles, Emma rejected marriage proposals. The girl corresponded with Darwin during his travels to South America. Emma is an educated girl. She wrote sermons for a rural school and studied music in Paris with Frederic Chopin.

The wedding took place on January 29. The wedding in the Church of England was performed by the brother of the bride and groom, John Allen Wedgwood. The newlyweds settled in London. On 17 September 1842 the family moved to Down, Kent.

Emma and Charles had ten children. Children have achieved a high position in society. Sons George, Francis and Horace were members of the Royal Society of England.

Three babies died. Darwin associated the sickness of children with the kinship between himself and Emma (work “Sickness of descendants from inbreeding and the advantages of distant crossbreeding”).

Death

Charles Darwin died at the age of 73 on April 19, 1882. Buried in Westminster Abbey.

After her husband's death, Emma bought a house in Cambridge. Sons Francis and Horace built houses nearby. The widow lived in Cambridge during the winter. For the summer she moved to the family estate in Kent. She died on October 7, 1896. She was buried in Down, next to Darwin's brother Erasmus.

• Charles Darwin was born on the same day as.
• In the photo Darwin looks like.
• “On the Origin of Species” began to be called that only by the sixth reprint.

• Darwin also learned about new species of animals from a gastronomic point of view: he tasted dishes made from armadillos, ostriches, agouti, and iguanas.
• Many rare species of animals are named in honor of the scientist.
• Darwin never renounced his beliefs: until the end of his days, living in a deeply religious family, he was a doubtful person regarding religion.
• The Beagle's journey lasted five years instead of two.

Charles Darwin is an outstanding English naturalist, traveler and naturalist, creator of the theory of evolution and the origin of species through natural selection. He was one of the first to notice and clearly demonstrate that all living organisms evolve over time and descend from common ancestors.

Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shropshire in the family of a successful doctor and financier Robert Darwin. There were six children in the family, and Charles was the fifth child. The scientist's grandfather was also a naturalist. After graduating from the Betler gymnasium, the scientist studied at several universities, in particular at the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh. While studying at Cambridge, Darwin met such an experienced specialist in the field of natural science as John Henslow, as well as an expert in geology - Wales Sedgwick. Communicating with them, he became even more convinced of his desire to explore the world.

In 1831, Darwin set out on a trip around the world, which lasted six years. Observations during this expedition provided a solid basis for his work. He crossed three oceans, visited Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand and many islands. Returning home, Darwin published a number of papers based on his scientific observations.

From 1938 to 1841, he served as secretary of the Geological Society of London. In 1842 he published his first outline of evolutionary theory. However, the most significant work of Charles Darwin that brought worldwide recognition was published in 1859. The book was On the Origin of Species.

Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) was an English naturalist and traveler who laid the foundations of modern theory and the direction of evolutionary thought that bears his name (Darwinism). Grandson of Erasmus Darwin and Josiah Wedgwood.

In his theory, the first detailed statement of which was published in 1859 in the book “The Origin of Species” (full title: “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Survival of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life”), Darwin attached paramount importance in evolution to natural selection and uncertain variability.

short biography

Study and travel

Born 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. In 1827 he entered the University of Cambridge, where he studied theology for three years. In 1831, after graduating from university, Darwin set out as a naturalist on a trip around the world on the Royal Navy expedition ship Beagle, from where he returned to England only on October 2, 1836. During his journey, Darwin visited the island of Tenerife, the Cape Verde Islands, the coast of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Tierra del Fuego, Tasmania and the Cocos Islands, from where he brought back a large number of observations. The results were presented in the works “Diary of a Naturalist’s Research” ( The Journal of a Naturalist, 1839), “The Zoology of the Voyage on the Beagle” ( Zoology of the Voyage on the Beagle, 1840), “Structure and distribution of coral reefs” ( The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs, 1842), etc. One of the interesting natural phenomena first described by Darwin in the scientific literature was ice crystals of a special form, penitentes, formed on the surface of glaciers in the Andes.

Scientific activity

In 1838-1841. Darwin was secretary of the Geological Society of London. He got married in 1839, and in 1842 the couple moved from London to Down (Kent), where they began to live permanently. Here Darwin led a solitary and measured life as a scientist and writer.

Since 1837, Darwin began keeping a diary, in which he entered data on breeds of domestic animals and plant varieties, as well as ideas about natural selection. In 1842 he wrote the first essay on the origin of species. Beginning in 1855, Darwinn corresponded with the American botanist A. Gray, to whom two years later he outlined his ideas. Under the influence of the English geologist and naturalist Charles Lyell, in 1856 Darwin began preparing a third, expanded version of the book. In June 1858, when the work was half completed, I received a letter from the English naturalist A.R. Wallace with the manuscript of the latter’s article. In this article, Darwin discovered an abbreviated statement of his own theory of natural selection. Two naturalists independently and simultaneously developed identical theories. Both were influenced by T. R. Malthus's work on population; both were aware of Lyell's views, both studied the fauna, flora and geological formations of island groups and discovered significant differences between the species inhabiting them. Darwin sent Lyell Wallace's manuscript along with his own essay, as well as sketches of his second draft (1844) and a copy of his letter to A. Gray (1857). Lyell turned to the English botanist Joseph Hooker for advice, and on July 1, 1859, they together presented both works to the Linnean Society in London.

Later works

In 1859, Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life), where he showed the variability of plant and animal species, their natural origin from earlier species.

In 1868, Darwin published his second work, Variation in Domestic Animals and Cultivated Plants ( The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication), which included many examples of the evolution of organisms. In 1871, another important work of Darwin appeared - “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection” ( The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relationship to Sex), where Darwin argued for the animal origin of humans. Darwin's other famous works include Barnacles ( Monograph on the Cirripedia, 1851-1854); "Pollination in Orchids" (The Fertilization of Orchids, 1862); "The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals" ( The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, 1872); “The effect of cross-pollination and self-pollination in the plant world” ( The Effects of Cross- and Self-Fertilization in the Vegetable Kingdom, 1876).

Darwin and religion

In his biography of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin, Charles mentioned false rumors that Erasmus cried out to God on his deathbed. Charles concluded his story with the words: “Such was the Christian feeling in this country in 1802.<...>We can at least hope that nothing like this exists today.” Despite these good wishes, very similar stories accompanied the death of Charles himself. The most famous of these was the so-called “story of Lady Hope,” an English preacher published in 1915, which claimed that Darwin underwent a religious conversion while ill shortly before his death. Such stories were widely spread by various religious groups and eventually acquired the status of urban legends, but they were refuted by Darwin's children and discarded by historians as false.

Marriages and children

On January 29, 1839, Charles Darwin married his cousin, Emma Wedgwood. The wedding ceremony was held in the traditions of the Anglican Church, and in accordance with the Unitarian traditions. The couple first lived on Gower Street in London, then moved to Down (Kent) on 17 September 1842. The Darwins had ten children, three of whom died at an early age. Many of the children and grandchildren have achieved significant success themselves. Some of the children were sickly or weak, and Charles Darwin feared that this was due to their closeness to Emma, ​​which was reflected in his work on the pain of inbreeding and the benefits of distant crosses.

Awards and insignia

Darwin received many awards from scientific societies in Great Britain and other European countries. Darwin died in Down (Kent) on April 19, 1882.

Quotes

Darwin Charles Robert (1809-1882), English naturalist, creator of the theory of the origin of species through natural selection.

Born 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury. The son of a doctor, Charles showed an interest in wildlife from early childhood, which was greatly encouraged by his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, a famous naturalist. At the request of his father, Charles entered the University of Edinburgh to study medicine.

Soon, seeing his son’s indifference to medical sciences, his father suggested that he choose the profession of a priest, and in 1828 Darwin began to study theology at Cambridge. Here he met a brilliant specialist in the field of natural sciences, J. S. Gensloe, and an expert in the geology of Wales, A. Sedgwick. Communication with them, excursions and work in the field prompted Charles to abandon his career as a clergyman.

On Henslow's recommendation, he took part as a naturalist in the circumnavigation of the world on the Beagle. During this expedition, which lasted from December 1831 to October 1836, Darwin crossed three oceans, visited Tenerife, the Cape Verde Islands, Brazil, Argentina, Patagonia, Chile, Galapagos, Tahiti, New Zealand, Tasmania and other countries. His responsibilities included collecting collections and describing the plants and animals of the British colonies in South America.

In Brazil and Uruguay, Darwin discovered 80 species of birds, and also found the jaw of Megatherium, an extinct giant sloth, and the tooth of a fossil horse. These findings, indicating that the animal world of Latin America was once completely different, made him think about the reasons for the change and development of nature. Linking the evolution of living organisms with changes in living conditions, he suggested that the emergence of new species obeys certain patterns.

The final impetus for the formalization of thoughts into a scientific theory was Darwin's stay in the Galapagos. This corner of the earth is practically isolated from the rest of the world, and using the example of local bird species, it was possible to trace the ways in which living forms change depending on the state of the environment.

Darwin returned home laden with collections and diary entries. He began processing materials in London, then continued work in Down, a small town near the capital.

The very first articles on geology and biology, based on data obtained during the trip, placed Darwin among the largest scientists in Great Britain (in particular, he put forward his version of the formation of coral reefs). But his main task was the creation of a new evolutionary theory.

In 1858, he decided to report it in print.

A year later, when Darwin turned 50, his fundamental work “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life” was published and created a real sensation, and not only in the scientific world.

In 1871, Darwin developed his doctrine in the book “The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection”: he considered the arguments in favor of the fact that humans descend from an ape-like ancestor.

Darwin's views formed the basis of the materialistic theory of evolution of the organic world of the Earth and, in general, served to enrich and develop scientific ideas about the origin of biological species.

On the night of April 18, 1882, Darwin suffered a heart attack; a day later he died. Buried in Westminster Abbey.

A short biography of the famous English traveler, naturalist and author of evolutionary theory. Read how the idea of ​​the evolution of biological species was born.

Charles Darwin: a short biography

Charles Robert Darwin, the youngest of five children of a famous English doctor and financier, born 12 February 1809 Shropshire, Shrewsbury. The boy was brought up in a highly cultured family. From childhood, he developed a broad outlook and intellectual literacy. His father had varied interests, additionally being involved in finance, and his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, in medicine, literature, and philosophy. Growing up in nature had an influence on the interests of Charles Darwin - since childhood he has been engaged in simple collecting of “natural values”. In 1817, after the death of his mother, he and his brother went to a boarding school, and in 1825 he entered the University of Edinburgh to the department of medicine. Despite her family predisposition, she feels rejected by the specialty, so she gives up her studies. He begins his studies at the Faculty of Theology in Cambridge at the insistence of his angry father, but does not find a response in his soul for Christian dogmas, but actively visits scientific communities, where he makes acquaintances with botanists, geologists and zoologists.

After completing his studies in 1831, like all free-spirited young people, he decided to see the world - from 1831 to 1836 he traveled around the world by ship. He studies and collects, writes down his impressions in a diary, later in a two-volume work entitled "A voyage around the world on the Beagle." It was this decision that brought Charles Darwin popularity in the scientific community and shaped him as a natural scientist.

Discoveries of Charles Darwin:

• Description of the external structure of marine invertebrates;
• Anatomy of the structure of invertebrates;
• Geological finds on the coasts;
• Volcanic rocks on the shores of Santiago (Cape Verde);
• Sketches of shells and corals;
• Notes on Geological Changes;
• Research on the Cape Verde Islands;
• Discovery of a giant fossilized mammal in Punta Alta, Patagonia;
• Discovery of the armadillo's ancestor;
• Discovery of 2 varieties of rhea ostrich;
• Acquaintance with the “degraded civilizations” of Tierra del Fuego;
• Study of land turtles in the Galapagos;
• Study of kangaroo rats and platypuses in Australia;
• Survey of the atolls of the Cocos Islands;

Upon returning from a five-year expedition, he received the post of secretary of the Geological Society of London. In 1839 he married Emma Wedgwood, who bore Darwin 10 children. In 1842 he moved to Down, Kent for health reasons. The return of life in the lap of nature only spurred the creation of numerous scientific works based on what was learned and seen.

Charles Darwin, books:

• "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life" (1859);
• "Change in Domestic Animals and Cultivated Plants" (1868);
• "The Descent of Man and Sexual Selection" (1871);
• "The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals" (1872);

Darwinism or Darwin's theory of evolution arose in opposition to the theory of Lamarckism. Thanks to many years of experience and empirical comprehension of the world, Darwin develops a theory about the development and evolution of species. The scientific direction is quickly gaining popularity, thanks to sympathy for its author, splitting the camp of scientists into two groups.

• Gold Medal from the Royal Society of London;
• Posthumous names of streets, museums;

Charles Darwin died in 1882 at his estate in Down.. Buried in Westminster Abbey.

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