Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809, in Shropshire, England. At the age of 18, Darwin attended Christ’s College in Cambridge in order to become a clergyman. However, four years later, Darwin decided to set off around the world in the name of science. Darwin set sail on the H.M.S. Beagle from England and began his travels. During his voyage, Darwin stopped in the Galapagos Islands to conduct his part of his research. Upon arrival, Darwin noticed that there were many different species of organisms on the various islands. The organisms that fascinated him the most were the species of finches. He noted that each species of finch came from a different island, yet they all had similarities. They are all relatively the same size and shape, but each one had a uniquely shaped beak. Darwin collected several of the finches as specimens in order to study them further. On the return home, Darwin developed a hypothesis that said that different species of an organism could have easily derived from one common ancestor. This hypothesis was Darwin’s stepping stone to developing the theory of evolution.


Prentice Hall: Biology Textbook