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Born in Shrewsbury, England
Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12th, 1809 from Susannah Wedgewood and Robert Darwin. He was named after his uncle (Charles Howard) and his father (Robert W. Darwin). Charles had to grow up mostly with one parent. Susannah died when Charles was just eight. (O'connor) -
Mexico wins independence
In 1821 Mexico won it's independence from Spain after almost 15 years of war. The Spanish tried spreading the idea that the European way was the better way but this was not popular in Mexico. When France seized Spain independence was a very possible idea and spread through Mexico. After years of more reactionary than proactive war Mexico defeated Spain to win independence. (Bussey 21-27) -
Graduates college
In 1831 Darwin graduated from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He was an outstanding student in his sciences and his professors saw potential in him. The professors invited him on a trip to Wales to study different organisms. This is when he gained a great interest in the subject. (Bettmann volume 2 140-141) -
Starts voyage on Beagle
When Darwin returned from Wales he had recieved a letter from John Henslow and George Peacock. He had been invited on a two year voyage on the H.M.S. Beagle. Although his father didn't approve, he convinced him to go. They set sail on the morning of December 27, 1831. They went to may locations such as Brazil, Tierra del Fuego, around the ANdes mountains, the Galapagos, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia and finally South Africa. (www.aboutdarwin.com) -
Publishes a 3-volume set on voyage
Darwin along with Philip Kingand Capt. Robert FitzRoy wrote this set of books in 1836. These books were mainly the information he gained on the H.M.S. Beagle. He observed in these books an interesting trait of the Galapagos islands. He observed that the organisms were different from island to island. One example was the finch which had a specific beak to help obtain food according to where and what the food was on the island. (Bettmann volume 2 140-141) -
Opens notebook to record his findings
When Darwin opened his notebooks in 1837 he had recorded many things. He had recorded over 2,000 pages of notes and records on his voyage and his discoveries. He discovered thousands of plants, animals, fossild, and weather that were preserved and labeled while on his voyage. Also many findings that helped prove his idea of evolution. (Bettmann volume 2 140-141) -
Underground railroad was established
In 1838 the underground railroad was officially established. This was a series of shelters and passage ways used to escape slavery in the south. Over 3,000 people were involved in the freeing of the slaves. Of those many were whites and freed northern slaves. Although more than 100,000 slaves were freed most were pure luck and not strategy at all. (Bussey) -
Goodyear discovers the process or rubber vulcanization
Charles Goodyear was inspired to create a more useful rubber. After he quit being his father's assistant he saw a rubber company and thought of something. He thought of how to make rubber a more useful material. When you heat rubber it gets too sticky to use and would melt. So Goodyear teamed up with Nathaniel Hayward to create a useful rubber. They figured out that using sulfur on the outside would help it maintain it's strength and shape. (Bussey) -
Marries Emma Wedgewood
In 1839 Charles Darwin married Emma Wedgewood who was his first cousin. Together they had ten kids, three of which died young. Emma's father was very rich and because of this Darwin could settle in Downe and focus on his studies instead of having a job. (www.aboutdarwin.com) -
Moves to Downe, England
Darwin moved to Downe in 1842 with his wife and his kids of his wifes inheritance. He worked on his discoveries on his voyage especially his findings at Tierra del Fuego of many plants. He worked along side with Joseph Dalton Hooker who he let look in on his findings on various plants. Although he had poor equiptment, he used his friends help to extend his knowlege on evolution. (O'Connor) -
Anaesthesia used for the first time
Anaesthesia is a type of drug that is used in surgery to make the patient not feel any pain. Anaesthesia means "loss of sensation" and can either make a small section numb (local anaesthetics) or make you unconscious (general anaesthetics). It does this by blocking your nervous system so the brain no longer receives the signals. This is crucial to current medical sciences because we wouldnt be able to do many operations without it because of the very intense pain. (www.nhs.uk) -
Presents theory
In 1858 Asa Grey learns about Darwin's theory of natural selection. He was a botanist who greatly supported Darwinism. He believed there was an origin plant in one spot that evolved and moved around the world. Although a couple weeks later Alfred Russel Wallace sent a letter and announced a theory almost identical to Darwin's before Darwin could claim the theory as his own. (Bettmann volume 4 14-15) -
Publishes another book
On November 22nd, 1859 Darwin's new book went on sale. He made over 1,000 copies of his new book which sold within the first day. His book was an immediate success and allowed him to remain in his Downe house. He noticed the books great success and started writing a second edition right away. (www.aboutdarwin.com) -
Lincoln assasinated
On April 15th, 1865 Abraham Lincoln was assasinated in Ford's Theater in Washington D.C. He had just ended the civil war between the north and south America over slavery. He ended this war with the Emancipation Proclamation that banished slavery and brought America back into a united nation. He was assasinated after making a speech promoting voting for blacks. This was said to provoke the murderer to kill one of the greatest presidents to ever lead this nation. (Lincoln) -
Dies in Downe, England
On April19th Charles Robert Darwin dies in Downe, England. He had been having severe chest pains, heart attacks, and seizures. He had an extremely violent attack the night before so his wife called for a doctor fearing he was near death. He was said to be stable in the morning but later had a life taking attack and died. He was buried in St. Mary's churchyard in the village of Downe near where Isaac Newton was buried. He died one of the best scientist in history. (www.aboutdarwin.com) -
Karl Benz sells first automobile
The first sold practical automobile with an internal combustion engine was patented in 1886. This was patented by Karl Benz and only had three wheels. This was a huge step in the developing of gas powered cars. Banz also made the first four wheeled car in 1891. His industry was the leading car manufacturer throughout the 1990's. This car is what we can thank for modern transportation. (www.about.com)
