-
Birth
He was born in Shrewsbury, England ("Charles Robert Darwin" 397-399) He was the fifth of six children to Robert and Susannah Darwin. He was born into a wealthy family. His father was a succesful physician and his mother was the daughter of Josiah Wedgewood who was a succesful potter. -
Period: to
Charles Darwin's lifetime
-
Mexico becomes a republic
The new independent "nation" of Mexico is established after centuries of Spanish rule. -
Graduated College
Darwin graduated from Cambridge University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. The coursework made him a well-rounded student. He learned about all different area of science which made him interested in becoming a naturalist. Shortly after graduating he was offered the trip to the Galapagos ("Charles Darwin" 140). -
The Voyage of the Beagle begins
The purpose was to survey the coast of South America. He collected many finches from each island and realized that each was slightly different in the shape of their beaks in order to get food. This was a very important event because it led to Darwin's ideas of natural selection (Stokes-Brown) -
Beagle returns
The voyage was meant to take only two years but ended up taking five and they circumnavigated the globe. The return was important because after the voyage, Darwin got all of his notes together and formed theories. The main theory that developed was natural selection ("Charles Robert Darwin" 398) -
Mutations of Species
He begins making his first theories of mutations within species.He also begins to look at the evolution of species. This leads to his later findings of evolution and mutations. He first realized that over time, species changed which helped them live longer. (Stokes-Brown) -
Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle
From 1838-1843 he publishes "Zoology of the Voyage of the Beagle. The book contains information on the different species he saw while on the voyage. This is important because it let the rest of the world know what research he was doing and what scientific advances were being made. (Stokes-Brown) -
Marries Emma Wedgewood
Emma Wedgewood is Darwin's cousin. Shortly after they get married he publishes "Journal of Researches" which later became known as the Voyage of the Beagle. He and Emma had 10 children, 7 of who made it to adulthood. (Stokes-Brown) -
California Gold Rush
Miners in California were finding pure gold all through the state. This was a source of great income to them and it provided another good for trade not only in the US, but in the world. Many people became wealthy as a result of the gold rush. -
Principle of divergence
The principle of divergence states that all species diverge further and further from their parents that eventually, new species were created. This principle is extremely important because it was a major topic in his book, "On the Origin of Species." Also it helped prove natural selection. (Robinson) -
Published "On the Origin of Species"
This book was possibly his greatest achievement because he proved that natural selection existed. The book provided many examples of evidence, including how species have changed over time, and how they are related (Stokes-Brown) -
Civil War in America begins
The Civil War in America broke out between the Union and Confederates who were fighting for land and slavery. This was a historic war which affected the way that the United States would be viewed among other nations well into modern-day. -
Franco-Prussian War
Also known as the Franco-German war, this conflict was between France and Prussia over the rise of the German military power. The Prussian Chancellor, Otto vonBismarck was trying to create a larger German empire. These two powers were also involved in the causes that set of World War 1. -
The telephone is invented
Alexander Graham Bell invented the first machine that could transmit speech electronically. This would prove to be a household necessity for communication over time. The telephone allowed for people in different locations to be able to speak to each other in real time. -
Invention of Light
Thomas Edison develops a practical, incandescent light in 1879. He didn't actually "invent" it, but improved on an idea. He included low current electricity, a small filament, and an enclosed vacuum inside the glass globe which resulted in a long-lasting source of light. This would revolutionize the way people see, after dark. -
Death
He died in Downe, Kent, England. Throughout his life, he made many contibutions to science. He died at the age of 73. After his death, other scientists proved that his theories were correct and that he had laid the foundation for all modern biology ("Charles Darwin" 140).
