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He advocated a theory of evolution which stated the idea that traits could be acquired and passed down to offspring.
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When Darwin's father finally gave him permission to sail on the HMS Beagle, he was employed as the ship's naturalist. He was nearly rejected simply because of the size of his nose.
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Alfred Russel Wallace sends Charles Darwin a message which essentially summarized Darwin's own theories on evolution, inspiring him to publish his works earlier than expected.
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Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection" was first published. All copies sold out on the very first day.
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"The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection" goes into its second edition
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Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce of the Church of England engage in their famous debate on Darwin's Theory of Evolution.
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Haeckel was a zoologist whose work on evolution inspired some of the racist theories of the Nazis.
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Austin Peay (Tennessee's Governor) signed into law a prohibition against the teaching of evolution in public schools.
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John T. Scopes violates the law preventing the teaching of evolution, leading to the infamous Scopes Monkey Trial to begin in Dayton, Tennessee.
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Pope Pius XII issued the encyclical Humani Generis, disapproving of ideologies which threatened Roman Catholic faith, but allowed that evolution does not necessarily conflict with Christianity.
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The Supreme Court ruled Arkansas' law prohibiting the teaching of evolution unconstitutional, as it was not based off of science but instead a literal reading of the book of Genesis.
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Arkansas' "balanced treatment" law of equal treatment for creation science with evolution was judged unconstitutional by a federal judge.
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The Supreme Court invalidated Louisiana's "Creationism Act" because it violated the Establishment Clause.
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The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals rule that schools have the right to prohibit teaching creationism because it could constitute religious advocacy.