Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) was born in Shropshire, England. His first text chronicling his five-year voyage on the HMS Beagle, which included his notable visit to the Galapagos Islands, earned him success as an author in 1839. His observations from the Galapagos, alongside an interest in natural history from an early age and studies over the consequent years, informed the development of his biological theories, culminating the ground-breaking text 'On the Origin of Species' for which he is best known.
