Did you know these 10 facts about Darwin's life?
Darwin entered the University of Cambridge to study theology. But later, he himself challenged the established religious dogma of creationism.
Come on, don't you know some of his stories already on his birthday?
1. Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on the same day
Abraham Lincoln and Darwin were both born on February 12, 1809. But their field of work was quite different. The 16th President of the United States was born in a log cabin in Kentucky. And at the same time, Darwin was born into a rich family in the ancient city of Shrewsbury or Shrewsbury, England, located several thousand kilometers east of Kentucky.
2. Waiting 20 years for the theory of evolution to be published
Darwin's five-year voyage on the Royal Navy ship HMS Beagle ended in 1836. This journey served as a catalyst for Darwin's invaluable research on the theory of natural selection in evolution. However, this revolutionary idea of his has increased the apprehension among the people and the clergy. And he did not present any theory of evolution in public until 1858.
Later, Darwin went public with his theory in a joint announcement with British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. The very next year, he published his main work, "Origin of Different Species by Natural Selection or Survival by Struggle of Organisms".
3. Darwin suffered from illness for a long time
After returning from a long trip around the world, Darwin was exhausted. Since then he has been suffering from chronic ailments like eczema, nausea, headache and heart disease.
Darwin had to fight with such physical problems all his life.
It is believed by many that during the voyage, Darwin contracted a parasitic disease called Chagas, which caused heart problems. Darwin eventually died of this disease.
4. He made a list of pros and cons of marriage
Even with regard to the heart or feelings, Darwin has a logical doctrine. Before his marriage i.e. in 1836, Darwin made a list of pros and cons of marriage.
Among the good things on the list were – 'marriage', 'children', 'a new partner (and friend in old age) ... or something better than a dog' and 'someone to take care of the house'. And among the bad ones were – 'not marrying', 'freedom to go wherever', 'conversation of fat men in clubs' and 'waste of time'.
Although this list of Darwin does not mention that he married anyone for family ties, Darwin married his first cousin Emma Wedgwood in 1839.
5. Dropping out of medical school
Darwin's father was a successful doctor. He wanted to make his son a successful doctor like himself. At the end of the summer of 1825, Darwin began working as an apprentice to his father. Later, he also went to study at the medical school of the 'University of Edinburgh', one of the top universities in the United Kingdom.
But Darwin hated bloodshed. Even listening to medical college lectures at that time, he was bored. As a result, Darwin dropped out of medical school, dashing his father's dream.
6. For 18 years, the £10 note featured Darwin's image
In early 2000, the British £10 note featured a portrait of a bearded Darwin with a picture of the royal ship 'HMS Beagle' on the back. A magnifying lens on the back of the note also showed various plants and animals seen on Darwin's travels.
However, in 2018, the 'Bank of England' stopped printing the £10 note.
7. The phrase 'survival of the fittest' is not his own
Although the important theory of evolution is Darwin's own, the term 'survival of the fittest' was actually first used by the English philosopher Herbert Spencer. In his book 'Principles of Biology' published in 1864, he first used the term 'survival of the fittest' to link Darwin's biological ideas with his own economic and sociological theories.
On the other hand, Darwin used this term for the first time in the fifth edition of his book 'Origin of the Species' in 1869.
8. Buried in Westminster Abbey
Darwin died on April 19, 1882. Darwin's family began preparations to bury him in the village where he spent the last 40 years of his life.
Instead, Darwin's friends and colleagues began a campaign to bury him in Westminster Abbey, London. The demand was accepted by the then Dean of Westminster following press and public demand. A week after his death, Darwin was buried next to fellow scientists John Herschel and Isaac Newton in England's most revered church.
9. He was a student of Dharmashastra
"I did not then doubt the strictness and literal truth of every word of the Bible," Darwin later wrote.
But after world travel and the death of three children, Darwin's religious beliefs began to waver. He never claimed himself as an atheist. Instead, he refers to himself as an agnostic.
Agnosticism is the philosophical thought or concept in which the existence or non-existence of a God or Supreme Creator is unknown to man and can never be known by him.
10. What was the full name of his book
Although the book is commonly known as 'The Origin of Species', the full title of Daryun's book is - 'On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life'.
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