Charles Darwin was an English naturalist and geologist. He is best known for his theory of evolution and natural selection.
Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, on 12 February 1809, at his family home, The Mount. He was the fifth of six children of wealthy society doctor and financier Robert Darwin and Susannah Darwin (née Wedgwood).
In 1831, he embarked on his famous five-year voyage on HMS Beagle, during which he made extensive observations that would form the basis of his scientific work. On his return to England, Darwin married his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood, and they had ten children.
Darwin’s health declined in later life and he died on 19 April 1882, aged 73. He is buried in Westminster Abbey. Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is the foundation of modern evolutionary biology.
