Today is the birthday, in 1809, of Charles Darwin. He is widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor is now generally accepted and considered a fundamental scientific concept.[7] In a joint presentation with Alfred Russel Wallace, he introduced his scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the artificial selection involved in selective breeding. Darwin has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history and was honored by burial in Westminster Abbey.
Darwin’s early interest in nature led him to neglect his medical education at the University of Edinburgh; instead, he helped Robert Edmond Grant to investigate marine invertebrates. His studies at the University of Cambridge’s Christ’s College from 1828 to 1831 encouraged his passion for natural science. Darwin became a close friend and follower of botany professor John Stevens Henslow. After visiting Wales to study some geologic formations, he returned home on 29 August to find a letter from Henslow proposing him as a suitable (if unfinished) naturalist for a place on HMS Beagle with captain Robert FitzRoy, a position for a gentleman rather than “a mere collector”.
the voyage began on 27 December 1831; it lasted almost five years. As FitzRoy had intended, Darwin spent most of that time on land investigating geology and making natural history collections, while HMS Beagle surveyed and charted coasts. Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he collected on the voyage, Darwin began detailed investigations and, in 1838, devised his theory of natural selection. Darwin published his theory of evolution with compelling evidence in On the Origin of Species (1859).
As HMS Beagle surveyed the coasts of South America, Darwin theorized about geology and the extinction of giant mammals. Watercolor by the ship’s artist Conrad Martens, who replaced Augustus Earle, in Tierra del Fuego.
If only we had a truck…
Nominative Determinism…
Today is the birthday, in 1939, of Ray Manzarek, keyboards, with The Doors, who had the 1967 US No.1 & UK No.9 single ‘Light My Fire’ and the 1971 single ‘Riders On The Storm’. Manzarek died on 20th May 2013, he had suffered from bile duct cancer for many years. He formed the band with lead singer Jim Morrison in 1965 after a chance meeting in Venice Beach, Los Angeles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKd6yarfkxA
