Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin grew up in England and as a young man he earned a reputation among scientists as an amateur naturalist, particularly in the identification of beetles. He started to study medicine but changed his career to study theology at Cambridge.
 

In 1831, at age 22, Darwin was invited to travel as an unpaid naturalist on the voyage of the Beagle, an expedition that lasted for years. Darwin was observant, well read and prepared for such an opportunity. During these five years, he studied the animals, plants, land formations and fossils of many countries and islands, and kept a journal and specimens for future studies.

One of the places that Darwin visited during his trip was the Galapagos Archipelago. He stayed there for five weeks and studied the flora and fauna of the islands. His first task upon return was to review his journal and organize his collections. By the time he had finished, at the age of 29, he had developed much of his theory on the evolution of species. But Darwin was not ready to publish his theory until he had gathered enough supporting evidence. He spent 20 years on this task, and in 1859 he finally published On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection.

When this work was first published, the edition sold out immediately, but the newspapers and scientific journals attacked Darwin’s theory. Part of the problem was that in 1859 scientists did not know how genetic variation are passed from parent to offspring. However, Darwin’s observations and experiments were thoroughly documented by this time and many naturalists agreed with his conclusions.

As this controversy over the theory of evolution continued, Darwin published 10 more books before his death in 1883.

The Charles Darwin Research Station is named after this naturalist as his theories and experiences helped inform the world about the Galapagos Islands, making it a "Showcase for Evolution."