November 24: General Interest

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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General Interest
1859 : Origin of Species is published
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1922 : Irish author and nationalist executed
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1963 : Jack Ruby kills Lee Harvey Oswald
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1971 : Hijacker parachutes into thunderstorm
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