THE GREAT ATLAS OF DISCOVERY

Darwin
r and THE
^^ Beagle
The MAIN PURPOSE of the voyage of the
Beaglewas to survey and chart the seas
around South America. However, it was the
additional findings of Charles Darwin, the
ships naturalist, that brought fame to the
expedition. During the voyage,Darwin
gathered important evidence on which to base / /(g
his theory of evolution. Evolution is the idea / \f

that all and animals have descended j

plants l

from earlier species and have adapted to ^ i

their environment over the years. Darwin

did not invent this idea, but he was the
first to explain how it works. His book,
On the Origin oj Species, published in
1859, shocked many people. Darwin
was attacked for questioning the story of
creation in the Bible - that all creatures
were created in their present form by God.

Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin came from a
large, wealthy English family
His father was a doctor, and
for a while Charles too
studied medicine. He then
trained to be a priest but
abandoned that as well. His
real interest was natural
history. In 1831, at age 23,
he signed on as naturalist
aboard the Beagle.
Darwin 1809-1882

HMS Beagle
The Beagle was a small naval ship that had been in use since 1825
and had already sailed around the world by the time Darwin joined
the crew. For the 1831 voyage the Beagle was refitted at great cost,
but with a crew of 74. space was cramped. Darwin lived and
worked at one end of the chart room. He suffered from very
bad seasickness and was always glad to reach a harbor.

The Beagle
finally reaches
the Pacific

The crew of the Beagle

explores the channels south of
Tierra del Fuego but have to turn
back because of the harsh climate

Tierra del Fuego, the bleak group

of islands at the tip of South America,
was visited by Darwin in 1834.

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