A Historical Chronology:

EvolutionA Brief History of the Idea of Evolution

•Copernicus proposes that the sun, not the earth, is the center of the solar system(shows that:

1543

•Copernicus proposes that the sun, not the earth, is the center of the solar systemshows that: Changes can occur in theories given proper scientific evidence

Theories & ideas disproven over time:

Earth is the center of our solar system

Flat Earth Hypothesis

All substances made of earth, air, fire, & water

Canals on Mars (& Martians?)

1640’s John Lightfoot uses Biblical evidence to calculate that God created the world in 3928 BC

1650’s Archbishop James Ussher argues for October 22, 4004 BC

Ussher’s Annals of the World(God creating heaven & earth in 4004

BC)

• 1701 Bishop Lloyd inserts the date of 4004 BC in the margin of the first

page of the Book of Genesisin a new edition of the Bible

For your notes:These 3 (Lightfoot, Ussher, &

Lloyd)are:

Biblical Scholars(Protestant Theologians)

who see the Bible as a book of facts

•Linnaeus publishes the 10th edition of SYSTEMA NATURAE in which he classifies humans, monkeys, apes, lemurs, and bats as “Primates” and first uses the formal taxonomic nameHomo sapiens to refer to humans

1758

Ideas prevalent prior to 1800’s:

A. World was divinely created

Ideas prevalent prior to 1800’s:

A. World was divinely created

B. World is very young

Ideas prevalent prior to 1800’s:

A. World was divinely created

B. World is very young

C. All species created at the same time

Ideas prevalent prior to 1800’s:

A. World was divinely created

B. World is very young

C. All species created at the same time

D. The world & creatures were static

(unchanging)

•James Hutton publishes The Theory of The Earth in which he proposes that the appearance of the earth is the result of millions of years of natural processes at work

1795

Hutton was a geologist - influenced by geologic forces like: erosion, sedimentation, volcanoes, earthquakes

The White Cliffs of Dover

• Jean Baptist Lamarck argues that acquired characteristics can be passed from parent to offspring (evolutionist)• Ex. Giraffes

1809

•Charles Lyell publishes the first volume of his Principles of Geology in which he endorses Hutton’s idea about an extremely ancient earth shaped by natural processes (Uniformitarianism)

1830

These two geologists begin the development of two key ideas:

DEEP TIME The Earth is really old

DEEP CHANGE The has changed a lot over this time

•Charles Darwin begins a five year voyage aboard the HMS Beagle

1831

Know this: Darwin was born Feb. 12, 1809 – exact same day & year as:

1831

Abe Lincoln

•Darwin reads “An Essay on the Principle of Population” (1798 – Thomas Malthus) and uses it to begin formulating his idea of biological evolution

1838

1858•Darwin receives a letter from Alfred Wallace that contains the same idea of how evolution could take place (natural selection) (same idea that Darwin has been working on for 20 years!)

Thomas Malthus Alfred Wallace

•The first edition of On The Origin of Species is published by Charles Darwin

1859

•Gregor Mendel publishes the results of his research into the hereditary process (but neither Darwin nor anyone else reads it)

1865

•Darwin publishes The Descent of Man

1871

A discussion of human evolution

Charles Darwin dies

1882

Westminster Abbey