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Darwin Publishes On the Origin of Species

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was published on November 24, 1859.

Published · Updated · 1 min read

The Event

Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was published on November 24, 1859. The book presented an extensive argument for evolution by natural selection.

The Wider Story

Darwin assembled evidence from breeding, geography, anatomy and the natural world. His work also belonged to a broader scientific conversation, including Alfred Russel Wallace's independent insight.

Putting the Event in Perspective

The book did not contain modern genetics, which developed later.

Reading the Historical Record

A faithful account explains its historical argument without pretending that every detail of present-day evolutionary biology was already known in 1859.

About the Historical Recreation

The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: an 1859 study with specimen drawers, natural-history objects and a closed newly printed book. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.

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