Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

Darwin Day is the anniversary of the birthday of Charles Darwin on February 12, 1809. Image File history File links Charles_Darwin_1854. ... Image File history File links Charles_Darwin_1854. ... Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an eminent English naturalist who achieved lasting fame by convincing the scientific community that species develop over time from a common origin. ... Year 1809 (MDCCCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Wedding anniversary be merged into this article or section. ... A childs first birthday party For other uses of the term, see Birthday (disambiguation). ... Charles Robert Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an eminent English naturalist who achieved lasting fame by convincing the scientific community that species develop over time from a common origin. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1809 (MDCCCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Charles provided the first coherent theory of evolution by means of natural selection and so the name is used by a set of loosely-associated events, usually organized locally to take place on or about Darwin's birthday, whose aim is to acquaint the public with the theory of evolution by natural selection and its importance to biology. This article is about evolution in biology. ... The Galápagos Islands hold 13 species of finches that are closely related and differ most markedly in the shape of their beaks. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... The Galápagos Islands hold 13 species of finches that are closely related and differ most markedly in the shape of their beaks. ...

The first event using the name "Darwin Day" appears to be one organized by The Humanist Community of Palo Alto in 1995. It featured a lecture by anthropologist Donald Johanson on Darwin and Human Origins. Starting in 1997, a series of larger events were organized at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville by members of the biology department. This came about in reaction to the consideration by the 1996 Tennessee legislature of a bill aimed at restricting the teaching of evolution in the public (state) schools. Darwin Day is now endorsed by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) as an official day of Humanist celebration. Location of Palo Alto within Santa Clara County, California. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Initiation rite of the Yao people of Malawi Anthropology (from the Greek word , man or person) consists of the study of humanity (see genus Homo). ... Donald Carl Johanson (born June 28, 1943) is an American paleoanthropologist known for his discovery of the skeleton of a 3. ... The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the primary institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee system, Tennessees flagship public university. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Largest metro area Nashville Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ... The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) is the world umbrella organization for humanist, ethical culture, rationalist, secular, and freethought groups. ... Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics, and justice and specifically rejects rituals and ceremonies as a means to affirm a life stance. ...

Some advocates would like to have a public holiday declared for February 12, 2009. That day will be the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth, and the year will also mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species. February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... British naturalist Charles Darwins book, The Origin of Species, is one of the pivotal works in scientific literature and arguably the pre-eminent work in biology. ...

While the involved parts of the scientific community view the Tuz Day events as educational, and some in the secular humanist community view them as a celebration of the advance of rationality and science, some creationists have called them veneration or even worship of Darwin (see argument from evolution). Adding further confusion, as a joke some scientists and Darwin Day supporters have attempted to add ritual, pseudo-religious elements to their Darwin Day celebrations. The scientific community consists of the interactions and relationships of scientists. ... In epistemology and in its broadest sense, rationalism is any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification (Lacey, 286). ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... The Creation of Light by Gustave Doré. Creation refers to the concept that all humanity, life, the Earth, or the universe as a whole was created by a deity (often referred to as God). ... Veneration is a religious symbolic act giving honor to someone by honoring an image of that person, particularly applied to saints. ... Worship usually refers to specific acts of religious praise, honour, or devotion, typically directed to a supernatural being such as a god or goddess. ... The argument from evolution states that intelligent design, (ID), is not a verifiable scientific theory and is, in fact, pseudoscience[1], with evolutionists noting that IDers have theological rather than scientific objectives. ...

An unusual spinoff of the Darwin Day 2005 event in Birmingham, England was the creation of the Origin of Species in Dub, a celebration of Darwin's masterpiece realized through the medium of reggae and dub music. See also Birmingham, USA, and other places called Birmingham. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Because CharlesDay 2006 was on a Sunday, 445 Christian Churches in the United States which felt that "for far too long, strident voices, in the name of Christianity, have been claiming that people must choose between religion and modern science" organized an "Evolution Sunday", the purpose of which was "to discuss the compatibility of religion and science [with their] congregations through sermons and/or discussion groups."

See also

• Evolution Day
• Mole Day
• Pi Day
• Square root day
• Towel Day

The title page of the 1859 edition of On the Origin of Species. ... Mole Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated among chemists in North America on October 23, between 6:02 AM and 6:02 PM, making the date 6:02 10/23 in the American style of writing dates. ... Pi Day and Pi Approximation Day are two unofficial holidays held to celebrate the mathematical constant π (Pi). ... Square root day is a humorous holiday promoted by Ron Gordon, a high school teacher in Redwood City, California. ... The Towel Day banner for distributing online Towel Day is celebrated every May 25 as a tribute by fans of the late Douglas Adams. ...

External links

• Darwin Day Program site
• The Humanist Community Darwin Day page
• Darwin Day at the University of Pennsylvania Museum
• Darwin Day at the University of Tennessee