Charles Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in scientific history. Born in Shrewsbury, England, he developed a passion for nature from an early age. His five-year voyage aboard HMS Beagle (1831–1836) proved pivotal, as his observations of plants, animals, and fossils across South America and the Galápagos Islands laid the foundation for his groundbreaking theories.
Darwin is best known for proposing the theory of evolution by natural selection, which revolutionized our understanding of life on Earth. He argued that all species of life evolved over time from common ancestors through a process he called "natural selection."
His major works include On the Origin of Species (1859), his seminal book presenting the evidence for evolution; The Voyage of the Beagle (1839), a travel memoir documenting his scientific journey; The Descent of Man (1871), which applied evolutionary theory to humans; and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872).
Darwin's ideas initially sparked controversy but ultimately transformed biology, shaping modern evolutionary science. He died in 1882 and was honored with burial in Westminster Abbey.