Charles Darwin.

Charles Darwin’s grandfather, Dr Erasmus Darwin, was Britain’s most renowned physician of the 18th century, a poet and member of the Lunar Society. Charles himself was born on 12 February 1809 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, to Robert Darwin and Susannah Wedgwood. He attended Shrewsbury School and later studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, but he failed medical school partly due to a fear of blood. He then studied at Christ’s College, Cambridge, where his interest in biology was sparked by mentor John S. Henslow.

Darwin’s five-year voyage on HMS Beagle took him to the Galapagos Islands, where he observed species that led him to conceive of natural selection. In a joint publication with Alfred Russel Wallace, he introduced the theory that evolution resulted from natural selection. He later elaborated on these ideas in his book On the Origin of Species. His contributions earned him the Royal Medal, Copley Medal, and Wollaston Medal. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Darwin married his first cousin Emma Wedgwood in 1838. Her grandfather founded the Josiah Wedgwood and Sons pottery firm. The couple had ten children, including Francis Darwin, George Howard Darwin, and Leonard Darwin. Two of their children, Anne and Mary Eleanor, died young. Darwin’s father initially disapproved of his son’s interest in biology but later financially supported him.

Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection became the foundation of modern biology. He was buried in Westminster Abbey in 1882; his grave lies near Sir Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking. The Royal Society established the Darwin Medal in his honor.