November 24:

1859 : Origin of Species is published

On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural
Selection, a groundbreaking scientific work by British
naturalist Charles Darwin, is published in England.
Darwin's theory argued that organisms gradually evolve
through a process he called "natural selection." In
natural selection, organisms with genetic variations
that suit their environment tend to propagate more
descendants than organisms of the same species that
lack the variation, thus influencing the overall
genetic makeup of the species.

Darwin, who was influenced by the work of French
naturalist Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck and the English
economist Thomas Mathus, acquired most of the evidence
for his theory during a five-year surveying expedition
aboard the HMS Beagle in the 1830s. Visiting such
diverse places as the Galapagos Islands and New
Zealand, Darwin acquired an intimate knowledge of the
flora, fauna, and geology of many lands. This
information, along with his studies in variation and
interbreeding after returning to England, proved
invaluable in the development of his theory of organic
evolution.

The idea of organic evolution was not new. It had been
suggested earlier by, among others, Darwin's
grandfather Erasmus Darwin, a distinguished English
scientist, and Lamarck, who in the early 19th century
drew the first evolutionary diagram--a ladder leading
from one-celled organisms to man. However, it was not
until Darwin that science presented a practical
explanation for the phenomenon of evolution.

Darwin had formulated his theory of natural selection
by 1844, but he was wary to reveal his thesis to the
public because it so obviously contradicted the
biblical account of creation. In 1858, with Darwin
still remaining silent about his findings, the British
naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace independently
published a paper that essentially summarized his
theory. Darwin and Wallace gave a joint lecture on
evolution before the Linnean Society of London in July
1858, and Darwin prepared On the Origin of Species by
Means of Natural Selection for publication.

Published on November 24, 1859, Origin of Species sold
out immediately. Most scientists quickly embraced the
theory that solved so many puzzles of biological
science, but orthodox Christians condemned the work as
heresy. Controversy over Darwin's ideas deepened with
the publication of The Descent of Man, and Selection
in Relation to Sex (1871), in which he presented
evidence of man's evolution from apes.

By the time of Darwin's death in 1882, his theory of
evolution was generally accepted. In honor of his
scientific work, he was buried in Westminster Abbey
beside kings, queens, and other illustrious figures
from British history. Subsequent developments in
genetics and molecular biology led to modifications in
accepted evolutionary theory, but Darwin's ideas
remain central to the field.

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