Life story
Charles Robert Darwin was born on 12 February 1809 in England, into an age that was only beginning to ask how the living world came to be as it is. From his earliest years he was drawn to the patterns of nature, gathering, observing and wondering with a patience that would come to define his life's work.
As a naturalist, geologist and biologist, Darwin devoted himself to understanding the origins and relationships of living things. Through careful observation he came to the proposition that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor, an idea that reshaped the way humanity understands its own place in the natural order.
In a joint presentation with Alfred Russel Wallace, Darwin introduced the theory that the branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process he called natural selection. He saw in the struggle for existence an effect akin to the artificial selection practised in selective breeding, and he set out his reasoning with the quiet rigour of a man devoted to truth rather than acclaim.
Charles Darwin died on 19 April 1882 and was honoured by burial in Westminster Abbey, resting among the figures his nation most cherished. Described as one of the most influential figures in human history, he left behind an understanding of life that remains a fundamental scientific concept, generally accepted and still unfolding in the minds of those who follow.
Životopisné údaje z verejných zdrojov. Portrét: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain).
Constellation of Life
Important milestones that shaped their journey.