Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, in Shrewsbury, England.¹⁾

He was the fifth of six children in his family.²⁾

Darwin's father was a successful doctor, and his grandfather, Erasmus Darwin, was a well-known physician, poet, and natural philosopher.³⁾

As a young boy, Darwin showed an early interest in nature and collecting specimens.⁴⁾

He initially studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh but later switched to divinity at Christ's College, Cambridge.⁵⁾

During his time at Cambridge, Darwin became friends with John Stevens Henslow, a botanist who would later be influential in Darwin's career.⁶⁾

Henslow recommended Darwin for a position as a naturalist on the HMS Beagle, a voyage that would become the basis for his groundbreaking work.⁷⁾

Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle lasted from 1831 to 1836 and took him to places like South America, the Galápagos Islands, and Australia.⁸⁾

The observations Darwin made during his voyage led him to develop his theory of evolution by natural selection.⁹⁾

Darwin's most famous work, “On the Origin of Species,” was published in 1859, outlining his theory of evolution.¹⁰⁾

He married his cousin Emma Wedgwood in 1839, and they had ten children together.¹¹⁾

Darwin's health suffered greatly throughout his life, and he often experienced various physical and mental ailments.¹²⁾

He suffered from an undiagnosed illness that caused symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and stomach problems, which modern scholars speculate might have been related to Chagas disease.¹³⁾

Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection states that species change over time in response to their environment, with favorable traits becoming more common in populations over generations.¹⁴⁾

His theory challenged the prevailing belief in a fixed and unchanging world, which was rooted in religious and scientific traditions.¹⁵⁾

Darwin's ideas sparked intense debates within both the scientific and religious communities.¹⁶⁾

The term “survival of the fittest” was coined by the philosopher Herbert Spencer and is often associated with Darwin's theory, although Darwin himself didn't frequently use the phrase.¹⁷⁾

Darwin published several other books after “On the Origin of Species,” covering topics like human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions in animals and humans.¹⁸⁾

He extensively studied barnacles, and his work on these creatures earned him the title of “barnacle geek” among his colleagues.¹⁹⁾

Darwin corresponded with many scientists and thinkers of his time, including Thomas Huxley, Joseph Hooker, and Asa Gray.²⁰⁾

He suffered from chronic nausea, heart palpitations, and other health issues that were likely exacerbated by the stress of his work and controversies.²¹⁾

Darwin was known for his meticulous note-taking, and he kept detailed records of his observations, experiments, and thoughts.²²⁾

His interest in pigeons led him to conduct breeding experiments, which helped him understand the principles of heredity and selection.²³⁾

Darwin's works were translated into numerous languages and had a profound impact on various fields beyond biology, including psychology, anthropology, and philosophy.²⁴⁾

He was awarded the Royal Society's Copley Medal in 1864 for his extensive work on barnacles.²⁵⁾

Darwin's theory of evolution was not immediately accepted by the scientific community, and he faced significant criticism and skepticism.²⁶⁾

One of his major concerns about publishing his theory was the potential backlash from religious authorities.²⁷⁾

The concept of common ancestry, central to Darwin's theory, proposed that all living organisms are linked through a shared evolutionary history.²⁸⁾

He formulated his theory after observing variations in species and traits among different populations of plants and animals.²⁹⁾

Darwin's theory offered a scientific explanation for the diversity of life on Earth without the need for divine intervention.³⁰⁾