Charles Darwin was a man who shaped the way we think about evolution in modern times. He introduced and described the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest. To fully understand modern evolutionary thoughts, it is necessary to completely understand the early theories of Charles Darwin. In this article, I will provide the reader with a comprehensive history of Charles Darwin, describe his voyage on the HMS Beagle, and discuss his theory of natural selection. Charles Robert Darwin, the founder of evolution, was born on February 12, 1809 in a rural area. England. Charles was the son of Robert Darwin and Susannah Wedgewood. His mother died when he was seven and his father when Charles was thirty-nine. Until the age of eight, Charles was educated at home by his sister Caroline. Charles soon after developed a fascination with biology and natural history. The young student began accumulating, collecting anything that captured his interest, from shells and rocks to insects and birds. Darwin's beetle collection at Cambridge appears to have been little more than a simple collection. His collection began to control all of his time, and ultimately his thoughts. But they proved very useful once aboard the Beagle. (Freeman 91) His hobbies laid the foundation for a wonderful life of discovery. In 1825, Robert sent Charles to medical school in Edinburgh to follow in the footsteps of Eras (Charles' brother) and himself. It was in Edinburgh that Charles discovered that medicine was not in his future. Charles was extremely disgusted and hated working on corpses. This returned Charles to his old methods of collecting and dissecting animals and insects. During this time, while attending Edinburgh, Darwin was also receiving training in taxidermy. This also proved useful aboard the Beagle. Additionally, while studying in Edinburgh, Darwin became familiar with Lamarck's evolutionary theories. Darwin dropped out of Edinburgh after his second year of medical school, without a degree. Then Dr. Darwin sent his son to Cambridge University to study religion. It was at Cambridge that Darwin developed his new obsessive fascination, entomology (especially for beetles). He struggled during his first three years, but during the fourth he pulled himself together. Charles graduated from Cambridge in 1831 and began seeking employment in... middle of paper ... a subject the public had absolutely no knowledge of. It describes how an individual of a species reproduces and genetically transmits variations. The species that adapted through variation is the one that survived. This is where the expression “survival of the fittest” comes from. As we have noted, Charles Darwin was a man ahead of his time and his work laid the structural foundation for how we think about evolution today. On the last page of Origin of the Species, Darwin summarizes his findings: “As natural selection operates solely by and for the good of each being, all bodily and mental endowments will tend to progress toward perfection.” Works Cited: Barnett, Samuel A. .A Century of Darwin. New York: Books for Libraries Press, 1969. Campbell, Bernard. Human evolution. Chicago/New York: Aldine and Atherton, 1970. Darwin, Charles. On the origin of species by natural selection. 1859. Gribben, John and Michael White. Darwin: a scientific life. New York: Dutton, 1995. Jurmain, Robert; et al. Foundations of physical anthropology. International: West/Wadsworth, 1997. Sears, Paul B. Charles Darwin. New York: Scribner's Sons LTD, 1950.