Happy Darwin Day!

On display now in the Special Collections reading room are books byCharles Darwin in observance of Darwin Day. Darwin Day, the annualcelebration of Darwin’s birthday on February 12, pays tribute to thenaturalist’s embodiment of the principles of scientific inquiry andintellectual freedom. The display includes five of Darwin’s booksshowcasing his diverse work in biology, botany, zoology, and naturalhistory and features illustrations and photos Darwin used todemonstrate domestication, sex selection, and evolution.

Darwin’s theories of natural selection and evolution were notnecessarily novel—Alfred Russel Wallace independently formulated atheory of natural selection—but they were revolutionary. On theorigin of species and later The descent of man inspired debate in thepublic and academic spheres about humankind’s origins and itsevolution from apes. Though initially controversial, Darwin’s theorieswere quickly integrated into the prevailing scientific worldview andstand today as some of the most impactful discoveries of the modernera.

The Special Collections reading room is located on the second floorof Galter Health Sciences Library. Stop by or schedule a time to viewthe display by contacting Special Collections at ghsl-specialcollections@northwestern.edu.

(Image: J. Cameron (Unknown) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.)

Printed: Friday, March 6, 2020 11:48 PMSource: https://galter.northwestern.edu/news/happy-darwin-day.pdf

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