Charles Darwin | Origin of Street Names

Charles Robert Darwin (1809 - 1882) was a naturalist, biologist, and geologist, the creator of the magnificent theory of evolution of living beings, and one of the greatest scientists in the known history of the world.

He was born in the town of Shrewsbury in northwest England, into a wealthy and esteemed family of physicians and scientists, which would be a crucial factor in Darwin's realization as one of the greatest names in contemporary science.

However, the path to such an achievement was highly interesting and, one could say, unplanned...

He received his primary education in his hometown, at an elite Anglican school, and later was sent to study medicine at Edinburgh, the best educational institution in the United Kingdom at that time. Yet, being completely uninterested in a medical career, he abandoned medicine, and his father decided that the clergy would be the best path for his son, leading the young Darwin to Christ's College, Cambridge.

Raised in the spirit of Christian Protestantism and studying theology, Charles Darwin probably could not have foreseen that in the coming decades, he would shake the very foundations of centuries-old church teachings and, in a way, forever remain disputed by a (smaller) part of humanity.

Although always highly interested in nature, the turning point for Charles Darwin's future scientific career was boarding the ship "Beagle" and embarking on a five-year exploratory journey across the seas and lands of the New World, from England, through Africa and South America, to Australia and back.

By analyzing vivid and diverse landscapes during the five years of travel around the globe, Charles Darwin realized the significant influence of external forces on shaping the natural environment, including the development of living organisms.

In the early 18th century, the so-called catastrophic hypotheses about the origin and development of living beings dominated European scientific circles. These hypotheses were based on the assumption of major natural disasters leading to the extinction of some species and the birth of new ones.

Charles Darwin was among the first to propose the theory that the development of living beings is actually the result of evolution - the continuous adaptation of plant and animal species to changing environmental conditions. By collecting and comparing a multitude of fossils, skeletons, and shells, he concluded that many present-day species have common ancestors but have been modified and adapted to their current habitats under the influence of different environmental conditions. Interestingly, the well-known phrase that "man evolved from monkeys" did not originate from Darwin himself but represents a caricature of his theory of a common ancestor of species, in this case, humans and monkeys.

Darwin most prominently demonstrated this theory using the example of giant Galapagos tortoises and several species of birds that, although also existing in Europe, had entirely different characteristics, habits, and appearances on the isolated Pacific island.

Charles Darwin presented all his observations from his five-year journey around the globe and his revolutionary theory in his seminal work "On the Origin of Species," which was quickly and enthusiastically embraced in scientific circles. However, it faced strong condemnation and ridicule in religious circles because his theory was perceived as atheistic denial of God as the Creator and as equating humans with animals - specifically, monkeys.

Although widely accepted and highly meaningful for two centuries, Darwin's theory of evolution still faces opponents, particularly in church-conservative circles. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that Charles Darwin is one of the most brilliant and original minds in the history of natural sciences.

Streets in Belgrade, Zaječar, Vranje, and Kruševac are named after the great English scientist.