ChronoFive
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Setting the scene
Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England, on February 12, 1809—the same day as Abraham Lincoln. His father Robert was a wealthy physician; his grandfather Erasmus Darwin had speculated about evolution.
What happened
Charles studied medicine at Edinburgh and divinity at Cambridge before joining the HMS Beagle voyage (1831–1836), collecting fossils and finches in South America and the Galápagos. He delayed publishing his theory for years, researching barnacles and correspondence.
Why it still matters
On the Origin of Species appeared in 1859, arguing natural selection shaped life over deep time and transforming biology, religion, and public debate. Memorable detail: Darwin listed marrying as a 'balance sheet' in his 1838 notebook, weighing companionship against loss of travel freedom before choosing wedlock.
Background
On the Origin of Species appeared fifty years later.