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Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, UK to Susannah Darwin and Robert Darwin. Darwin's father was a wealthy physician and industrial financier.Darwin's grandfather was famous physician-poet-evolutionist Erasmus Darwin. Darwin for a long time was known for being the grandson of England’s most famous evolutionist.
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Timeline of Charles Darwin's life and accomplishments.
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Darwin's father was a very successful physician and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. Darwin began medical school only to drop out 2 short years later. Darwin found medical school to be boring and despised watching surgeries.
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Darwin goes to Cambridge University to study priesthood and gets a Bachelors degree of arts.
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During his time at Cambridge, Darwin befriends geologist Adam Sedgwick and botanist John Henslow. Henslow recommended Darwin to Captain Robert Fitzroy as a naturalist for the exhibition arranged by the British Royal Navy.
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Darwin notices creatures that were specific to the island and some he notice looked similar to those on the mainland. Darwin recognizes finch birds and sees the different characteristics to finches on each island. Darwin noticed the finches all having different shaped beaks. Some were strong for prying nuts, others were long for eating insects. During his observation he wrote "... one species had been taken and modified for different ends."
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When Darwin returns to England after the five year exhibition, he begins to write about his findings of different species in different locations during the journey.
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Charles Darwin marries cousin Emma Wedgwood.
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During the 1840s, Darwin continues his research from his findings on the voyage while publishing 3 books.
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Darwin built a dovecote and filled it with pigeons he bought from breeders in London. Darwin used the pigeons to provide evidence for his theory on natural selection. Darwin would cross birds with different characteristics to produce different offspring.
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Based on his studies from the pigeons, Darwin begins to write Origins in the summer of 1958.
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"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life" was published in 1859. This literature is considered to be the finding of evolutionary biology. Darwin introduced that species evolve through a process called natural selection. Only 1,250 copies were published at first and they all sold out within the first day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VM9YxmULuo
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Darwin died at Down House on April 19, 1882, at age 73. Darwin was considered at national figure and one of the greatest scientists when he dies. Darwin is buried at Westminster Abbey, London next to Isaac Newton himself.
