Who was Charles Darwin?
Charles Darwin, who was born in 1809, changed our view of how nature developed with his theory of evolution. He showed that everything evolves, or changes, over many thousands of years to survive against its enemies and to make best use of its food resources. He also showed that humans developed from an early ancestor, which they shared with the ape family.
These ideas were very unusual at the time, and when Darwin published his most famous book, Origin of Species, it caused an uproar. Many people disagreed with his ideas, because he contradicted the Bible story of how the earth and all creatures, including Adam and Eve, were created in six days. Many people now think that Darwin was England's greatest scientist, although some still argue about his ideas even today. When he died, Darwin was buried in Westminster Abbey.

How did Darwin become a scientist?
Charles Darwin did not always want to be a scientist, although he was always interested in the living things around him. When he was at school his favourite subject was chemistry. He said 'The subject interested me greatly...This was the best part of my education at school.'  Charles made collections of beetles, bird eggs, shells, stones and fossils, and spent a lot of time hunting and shooting.
When he was sixteen his father took him away from his school, because he felt that Charles was wasting time. He was sent to Edinburgh University to study medicine. Unfortunately, Charles did not enjoy his medical studies. He found the lectures dull and became upset by some of the illnesses he saw. He could not watch surgical operations which were at that time performed without anaesthetic.  After two years, Charles' father realised that his son would never have a career in medicine. He sent him to Cambridge University to prepare to become a clergyman instead.
Charles stayed at Cambridge for three years. Although he did not enjoy his studies, he managed to get his degree. He made lots of friends, and kept up his interest in collecting beetles. He also became interested in geology, the science of the earth's strata, or layers, and how the earth was formed.
At the end of his time in Cambridge Darwin received a letter inviting him on an expedition to South America. The trip was planned to last two years, and his job would be to study and record the living things found on the journey. Darwin was very keen to go, and asked for the help of one of his uncles to persuade his father to give his permission. This voyage, on a ship called the Beagle, changed Charles' life, and provided the material for all his later ideas.