Charles Darwin

Born in Shrewsbury, England, in 1809, Charles Darwin first studied medicine and then theology before his real passion for natural history took over. In 1831 he joined the voyage of HMS Beagle, a journey that gave him years of close contact with plants, animals, fossils, and geological formations across South America and beyond.

Those observations helped shape his ideas about how species change over time. After decades of research, Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, arguing that evolution happens through natural selection. The book transformed biology and sparked debate that continues to echo through science, education, and public life.

Darwin spent much of his later life at Down House in Kent, where he continued writing and experimenting on subjects ranging from orchids to earthworms. He died in 1882 and was buried in Westminster Abbey, a sign of how deeply his work had affected the world.