Charles Darwin was a British naturalist and biologist who is best known for his theory of evolution and the concept of natural selection. He was born on February 12, 1809, in Shrewsbury, England, to a wealthy family. His father, Robert Darwin, was a successful physician, and his mother, Susannah Darwin, was the daughter of a wealthy pottery manufacturer.

As a child, Darwin was interested in nature and spent much of his time exploring the countryside around his home. He attended the University of Edinburgh to study medicine but found the subject unappealing. He then transferred to the University of Cambridge to study theology, but his interest in natural history continued to grow.

After graduating from Cambridge in 1831, Darwin was offered a position as a naturalist on the HMS Beagle, a ship that was embarking on a five-year voyage to explore the coast of South America and the Pacific Islands. During this voyage, Darwin collected specimens of plants and animals and made detailed observations of the geology and geography of the regions he visited.

Upon his return to England in 1836, Darwin began to analyze his findings and develop his theory of evolution. He spent the next 20 years studying and writing about his ideas, and in 1859, he published his most famous work, “On the Origin of Species.” This book presented his theory of evolution by natural selection, which proposed that species evolve over time through a process of natural selection, in which the individuals best adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce.

Darwin’s theory of evolution was controversial at the time, as it challenged the prevailing belief in the fixity of species and the idea that they were created by a divine being. However, it has since become widely accepted as the foundation of modern biology.

In addition to his work on evolution, Darwin also made significant contributions to the study of geology, botany, and zoology. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1851 and received numerous other honors and awards throughout his life.

Darwin married his cousin, Emma Wedgwood, in 1839, and they had ten children together. He suffered from poor health for much of his life and died on April 19, 1882, at the age of 73. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, alongside other great British scientists and thinkers.