International Darwin Day
This day celebrates the life and work of Charles Darwin, the day is a celebration of science and humanity.
Theory of Evolution
Born in 1809, Charles Darwin revolutionized the field of natural history by putting forth the theory of evolution by natural selection. In his book On the Origins of Species published in 1859, he argued that all present-day life forms on Earth came from a single ancestor and that diversity in the animal and plant kingdom came about due to natural selection, migration, extinction, and genetic mutations.
Celebrated Worldwide
While initially contested, Darwin's theory of evolution is now widely accepted as fact and theory in the scientific community.
Did You Know…
…that the full title of Darwin’s seminal book is: On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life?
Darwin Once Ate an Owl
While he was at Cambridge University, Darwin joined the "Gourmet Club," which met once a week to eat animals not often found in menus, like hawk and bittern (a type of wading bird in the heron family). His zeal for weird food, however, broke down when he tried an old brown owl, which he found "indescribable."
But that one episode didn't end Darwin's weird gastronomic proclivities. During the voyage of the Beagle, he ate armadillos and agoutis (the rodents were "best meat I ever tasted," he said).
In Patagonia, South America, Darwin ate a puma (it tasted like veal) and an ostrich-like bird called a Rhea. Actually, Darwin had been looking for this particular species of Rhea, only to find that he had been eating one all along. He sent back the uneaten parts to the Zoological Society in London, which named the bird Rhea darwinii after him!
In the Galapagos, Darwin ate iguanas and giant tortoises. He liked it so much he loaded up 48 of them aboard the Beagle, to be eaten on the journey back!
Darwin Wanted to Be a Doctor, But He Couldn't Stand the Sight of
Blood
Best Birthday Gift Ever: a Mountain!
For Darwin's 25th birthday on February 12, 1834, Captain FitzRoy named a mountain after him. Mount Darwin. It is the highest peak in Tierra del Fuego.
Darwin Didn't Invent the Phrase "Survival of the Fittest"
That was Herbert Spencer, a philosopher and contemporary of Charles Darwin.
Now of course we have the Darwin Awards, Rejoicing in Stupid Deaths....
(18 February 2014, United Kingdom) Scott McKimmie's purple Volkswagen Cabriolet would not be considered roadworthy by most people, but to a handy mechanic a flaw can be considered a security feature. Early on Tuesday morning outside The Phoenix pub in Corby, the 39-year-old started the 1998 Cabriolet in his usual unusual way -- he put the car in gear and reached beneath the hood (the 'bonnet') and touched two wires together to create an ignition spark.
Unfortunately Scott failed to remember that he had not set the handbrake. To make matters worse he had modified the purple VW to run with a fast idle to prevent stalling. As black wire touched red wire the engine turned over and started, and the car lurched forward and knocked him over. Due to the fast idle the vehicle continued on its merry way, inflicting 36 "separate injuries" on the unfortunate man.