Charles Darwin’s American Adventure: A Melodrama in Three Acts

Origins at eHistory

2009 was celebrated around the world as 'The Darwin Year.' It marked the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his landmark On the Origin of Species. While Darwin's theory of natural selection caused considerable controversy at the time, his ideas are now accepted as the foundation of all the modern biological sciences. With the festivities winding down, this month historian Steven Conn looks back on Darwin's history in the United States -- the only developed country where Darwin denial is still widespread -- to look at the strange career Darwin has had in this country.