Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin!

vicone · 02-12-2009, 05:35 PM

We've now reached the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.

Interestingly, he married his first cousin, Emma Wedgwood (of the notable family whose products are still admired world-wide), and she was a devout Christian. He confessed to her his doubts about religion before they married, yet still the marriage went ahead.

No doubt his family experiences (and the difficulty of convincing others of the merit of his ideas) greatly influenced and shaped his work.

This is well discussed in the following article:

Darwin on a Godless Creation: "It's like confessing to a murder": Scientific American

Emma's contribution should not be overlooked. She outlived her husband, reaching the ripe old age of 88 years. From Wikipedia:

Quote:

She accepted Charles' marriage proposal on 11 November 1838, at the age of 30, and they were married on 29 January 1839 at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Maer, Staffordshire. Their cousin, the Reverend John Allen Wedgwood officiated. Following a brief period of residence in London, they moved permanently to Down House, located in what was then the rural village of Down, close to the city.

Charles and Emma had ten children. They raised them in a distinctly non-authoritarian manner, and several of them later achieved considerable success in their chosen careers. Sir George Darwin, for example, became a scientist.

Emma Darwin is especially remembered for her patience and fortitude in dealing with her husband's long-term illness which became apparent shortly after their marriage. In nursing and humouring Charles through his many ups and downs, she was a crucial factor in her husband's scientific accomplishments.

Some interesting trivia about marrying close relatives: Charles Darwin had a precedent within his own family as his grandfather, Josiah Wedgwood, had also married his cousin. A few other notables readers might recognize who married first cousins:

H G Wells (author)
Greta Scacchi (actress)
Igor Stravinsky (composer)
Edgar Allan Poe (author - his cousin was only 13 yrs old when they married)
David Lean (film director)
Albert Einstein (theoretical physics)
Thomas Malthus (British academic)
Abraham Maslow (psychologist)
Sergei Rachmaninoff (composer)
Jesse James (outlaw)

There are scores of instances of royalty marrying first or second cousins. For instance, Elizabeth II married her second cousin, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark (Philip Mountbatten).

If you'd like to see extreme instances of close relatives marrying, have a look at the family tree of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. She married two of her brothers (before taking up with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony). This was a common practice in her family history.

Ivan

John Henderson · 02-15-2009, 03:04 PM

Thanks for reminding me Ivan:
Happy birthday, Charlie D! You formalised the knowledge that animal breeders had known for centuries, you explained why the Peppered Moth changed colour and you laid the ground for Crick and Watson's discovery of DNA. Hats off to you, Charles!

patJ · 02-15-2009, 05:16 PM

Charles Darwin, a true genius. I'm happy to see that more and more people stray away from the myths of religion and have started to embrace facts and knowledge.

Will Edwards · 02-18-2009, 03:05 AM

Hippo, birdie 2 ewes
Hippo, birdie 2 ewes
Hippo, birdie deer Charlie
Hippo, birdie 2 ewes

Will

Clement Yeung · 02-18-2009, 11:28 AM

Happy belated birthday.

All the best,

Clément Yeung

simplyjo · 02-18-2009, 11:41 AM

Nice reminder and good to see such discussions here

HowToBeHappyGal · 03-02-2009, 08:21 AM

Hi
Bit late reading this thread, but only just joined.

Couldn't agree with you more - especially with some people now wanting Creationism taught in schools.

Of course, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I'll stick to Facts and Science.

Cheers,

a1journo · 03-03-2009, 07:41 PM

Happy Bday Mr Darwin!

02-15-2009, 03:04 PM	#2
John Henderson HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: West Sussex, UK Posts: 309 Thanks: 83 Thanked 43 Times in 33 Posts	Re: Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin! Thanks for reminding me Ivan: Happy birthday, Charlie D! You formalised the knowledge that animal breeders had known for centuries, you explained why the Peppered Moth changed colour and you laid the ground for Crick and Watson's discovery of DNA. Hats off to you, Charles!

02-15-2009, 05:16 PM	#3
patJ HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: , , . Posts: 310 Thanks: 0 Thanked 23 Times in 21 Posts	Re: Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin! Charles Darwin, a true genius. I'm happy to see that more and more people stray away from the myths of religion and have started to embrace facts and knowledge.
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02-18-2009, 03:05 AM	#4
Will Edwards Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: United Kingdom. Posts: 2,674 Blog Entries: 19 Thanks: 48 Thanked 140 Times in 58 Posts Social Networking	Re: Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin! Hippo, birdie 2 ewes Hippo, birdie 2 ewes Hippo, birdie deer Charlie Hippo, birdie 2 ewes Will
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02-18-2009, 11:28 AM	#5
Clement Yeung easisell.com Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom Posts: 34 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin! Happy belated birthday. All the best, Clément Yeung
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02-18-2009, 11:41 AM	#6
simplyjo Active Warrior Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 38 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin! Nice reminder and good to see such discussions here

03-02-2009, 08:21 AM	#7
HowToBeHappyGal TeresaAGeorge Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: England Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin! Hi Bit late reading this thread, but only just joined. Couldn't agree with you more - especially with some people now wanting Creationism taught in schools. Of course, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but I'll stick to Facts and Science. Cheers,

03-03-2009, 07:41 PM	#8
a1journo Suzy Black Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 54 Blog Entries: 2 Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Social Networking	Re: Happy Birthday, Charles Darwin! Happy Bday Mr Darwin!