Charles Darwin

English scientist, geologist, and biologist Charles Robert Darwin is well-known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His theory that all living things have a common ancestry is now widely recognized and regarded as a fundamental idea in science. He presented his scientific idea that this branching pattern of evolution was the product of a process he called natural selection, in which the battle for existence has a comparable impact as the artificial selection involved in selective breeding. This theory was first published in collaborative work with Alfred Russel Wallace. Darwin was honored by a burial in Westminster Abbey and has been hailed as one of the most significant people in human history.

Darwin's early fascination with nature caused him to forego his medical studies at the University of Edinburgh in favor of contributing to research on marine invertebrates. He was inspired to pursue natural science during his time at Christ's College at the University of Cambridge from 1828 to 1831. Charles Lyell's theory of slow geological change was backed by Darwin's observations and speculations during his five-year trip aboard the HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836. The publication of his record of the journey helped Darwin become a well-known writer.

Darwin's discoveries led him to the unsettling conclusion that the Victorian-era beliefs on the origins of animals were all false. The majority of people in Darwin's day still believed in creationism, which holds that the diversity of life on Earth is the result of divine intervention.

Born - Died: 1809-1882
Field: naturalism, geological and biological
Important contributions: Contributed to evolutionary biology