'Majestic' oak tree that Charles Darwin may have climbed as a boy will be FELLED to make way for the Shrewsbury bypass - as campaigners say it's a 'dark day for the environment'

Charles Robert Darwin was calved successful Shrewsbury, Shropshire, nan 5th of six children of able and well-connected parents.

One of his grandfathers was Erasmus Darwin, a expert whose book ‘Zoonomia’ had group retired a extremist and highly arguable idea, that 1 type could 'transmute' into another. Transmutation is what improvement was past known as.

In 1825, Charles Darwin studied astatine Edinburgh University, 1 of nan champion places successful Britain to study science. 

It attracted free thinkers pinch extremist opinions including, among different things, theories of transmutation.

Darwin trained to beryllium a clergyman successful Cambridge successful 1827 aft abandoning his plans to go a doctor, but continued his passion for biology.

In 1831, Charles' tutor recommended he spell connected a voyage around nan world connected HMS Beagle.

Over nan adjacent 5 years Darwin travelled 5 continents collecting samples and specimens while investigating nan section geology. 

With agelong periods of thing to do but bespeak and read, he studied Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology, which had a profound impact.

The travel besides began a life of unwellness aft he suffered unspeakable oversea sickness.

In 1835, HMS Beagle made a five-week extremity astatine nan Galapágos Islands, 600 miles disconnected nan seashore of Ecuador. 

There, he studied finches, tortoises and mockingbirds though not successful capable item to travel to immoderate awesome conclusions. 

But he was opening to accumulate observations which were accelerated building up. 

On returning location successful 1838, Darwin showed his specimens to chap biologists and began penning up his travels. 

It was past that he started to spot really 'transmutation' happened. 

He recovered that animals much suited to their situation survived longer and person much young. 

Evolution occurred by a process he called 'Natural Selection' though he struggled pinch nan thought because it contradicted his Christian world view. 

Having knowledgeable his grandfather being ostracised for his theories, Darwin collected much evidence, while documenting his travels, until 1851.

 He decided to people his mentation aft he began to suffer agelong bouts of sickness.

Some historians propose that he had contracted a tropical unwellness while others felt that his symptoms were mostly psychosomatic, brought connected by anxiety.

In 1858, Darwin received a missive from Alfred Russel Wallace, an admirer of Darwin's from reference astir his Beagle Voyage.

Wallace arrived astatine nan mentation of earthy action independently and wanted Darwin's proposal connected really to publish.

In 1858, Darwin yet went nationalist giving Wallace immoderate in installments for nan idea. 

Darwin's ideas were presented to Britain's starring Natural History body, nan Linnean Society. 

In 1859, he published his mentation connected evolution. It would go 1 of nan astir important books ever written.

Darwin drew fierce disapproval from nan Church and immoderate of nan press. Many group were shaken by nan book's cardinal accusation that quality beings descended from apes, though Darwin only hinted astatine it. 

In 1862, Darwin wrote a informing astir adjacent relatives having children, he was already worried astir his ain marriage, having joined his relative Emma and mislaid 3 of their children and nursed others done illness.

Darwin knew that orchids were little patient erstwhile they self-fertilised and worried that inbreeding wrong his ain family whitethorn person caused problems. 

He worked until his decease successful 1882. Realising that his powers were fading, he described his section graveyard arsenic 'the sweetest spot connected Earth'.

He was buried astatine Westminster Abbey.