Who was Charles Darwin? Let us meet the other characters in the story… rom his earliest childhood, Charles Darwin F(1809 – 1882) was passionate about Nature. Captain Robert Fitzroy (1805 - 1865) During every waking moment he would roam the When Fitzroy took over countryside around his home with his dogs, hunting command of the Beagle in and observing animals, climbing trees and hills. 1831 and prepared for the epic voyage around the world, Years later, while studying to be a priest, Darwin’s he required “the company professor of botany, John Henslow (1795 – 1861), of a gentleman” with a offered him the unique opportunity to embark on a similar interest in scientific voyage of discovery around the world aboard a ship exploration. So it was that called the Beagle. Darwin sailed from England on the he came upon young Charles 27th of December 1831, at just Darwin. Darwin and Fitzroy 22 years of age. During the got along quite well although they were actually long voyage at sea, which very different to each other; Darwin’s liberal ideas lasted 5 years, Darwin made contrasted with Fitzroy’s more conservative beliefs. important observations and For example, contrary to Fitzroy Darwin detested the notes of all that he saw, and idea of slavery, and he was shocked by the captain’s he collected abundant plants, brutal methods of disciplining his crew on board the animals, fossils and rocks as Beagle. Many years later Fitzroy, a deeply religious part of his study of Nature. man, was among those who violently rejected The young Charles Darwin Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Back in England in 1836, Darwin spent years examining his huge collection Syms Covington (1809 - 1861) of specimens brought back from his voyage. He Cabin boy aboard the Beagle, also conducted many experiments, and maintained Covington became Darwin’s a regular correspondence with other scientists and personal assistant. In the naturalists all over the world. During all this time, he Galápagos islands he proved also did a lot of reading, and a lot of thinking. invaluable helping to collect As a result of so much study, finches, and contrary to his Darwin came up with new employer, he did remember ideas about subjects as to label each specimen with varied as the movement of the island he collected it climbing plants, the life of from! Thanks to Covington’s thoroughness, Darwin earthworms, emotions in was later able to see how each island contained a humans and animals...and of different kind of finch. This clue was a fundamental course his greatest idea of all, piece of evidence for the theory of evolution by the ground-breaking Theory natural selection. of Evolution by Natural The older Darwin Selection. Charles Lyell (1797 - 1875) Considered to be the founder It was this theory that dominated the intellectual life of geology, Charles Lyell of Charles Darwin and made him one of the greatest shook the current thinking thinkers in history. The theory of evolution by natural of his time by stating that selection was published in 1859 in a book called On the Earth is very much older the Origin of Species. With this work, one of the most than people thought. Lyell important of all time, Darwin changed the course of gave the example of fossils, the study of nature and the way we think about the of which the age is measured world, forever. in millions of years. Lyell’s important book, Principles of 3 Darwin interior_MHE edition.indd 3 26/03/2015 19:59 geology, was key in shaping Darwin’s own thinking shape of finches’ bills and the way they feed, an about the Earth and its life forms, and he read it observation that contributed to Darwin’s thinking keenly during his time aboard the Beagle. Upon towards his theory of natural selection. returning to England in 1836 Darwin met Charles Lyell and the two became colleagues and friends. Alfred Russell Wallace (1823 - 1913) Young explorer, adventurer John Gould (1804 - 1881) and naturalist, Wallace Artist and ornithologist, travelled extensively in John Gould took on the huge the Americas and Asia and task of identifying the bird marvelled at the diversity specimens Darwin brought of life he encountered. back from his voyage Wallace marvelled so much around the world. With that he actually came to the Gould’s help, Darwin was same conclusions as Darwin thus able to confirm that the regarding the evolution mockingbirds (“Thenca”) in of life on Earth, quite independently of Darwin’s the Galápagos islands are own theory of natural selection! However the two related to those on the South American continent. naturalists never competed with each other, and Gould also noticed the relationship between the rather became allies defending their joint theory. The Beagle’s route in the Galápagos Islands Darwin visited the Galápagos for five weeks between the 16th September and 20th October, 1835. The Beagle reached the islands after almost four years at sea, mainly surveying the South American coast. James Island, 8-20 October, 1835 Albemarle Island, 29 September– 3 October, 1835 Charles Island, 24-27 September, 1835 Chatham Island Area explored by Darwin 16-22 September, 1835 Route of the Beagle (Darwin aboard) Route of the Beagle in search of And now, let us go back in time to 1835, water (without Darwin) and join Charles Darwin in Galápagos! 4 Darwin interior_MHE edition.indd 4 26/03/2015 20:00.