Born: 12 February 1809 · Died: 19 April 1882 · Age at death: 73
How old was Charles Darwin when he died?
Charles Darwin died aged 73. He was born on 12 February 1809 and died on 19 April 1882.
English naturalist whose voyage on HMS Beagle led to On the Origin of Species and the theory of evolution by natural selection
Did you know?He shared an identical birthday with Abraham Lincoln, with both men being born on the same day in 1809.
Quick facts
Date of birth12 February 1809
Date of death19 April 1882
Age at death73
NationalityBritish
BirthplaceShrewsbury, United Kingdom
Occupationgeologist, explorer, travel writer
Editor's Take:
Charles Darwin changed how humanity understands its own place in nature. As a young naturalist aboard HMS Beagle, he collected fossils, birds and plants on a five-year voyage that included the Galápagos Islands. Back home, he spent two decades quietly gathering evidence before publishing On the Origin of Species in 1859, which argued that living things evolve over generations through natural selection. The idea caused uproar, but it gave biology the unifying principle it had lacked. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, a measure of how quickly his once-shocking idea became accepted.
Key Milestones
1831: Sets sail on HMS Beagle
1835: Studies wildlife on the Galápagos Islands
1839: Publishes his Beagle journal
1858: Joint paper with Wallace on natural selection
1859: Publishes On the Origin of Species
1871: Publishes The Descent of Man
Charles Robert Darwin ( DAR-win; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology.
Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury on 12 February 1809.
He sailed round the world on HMS Beagle from 1831 to 1836.
He published On the Origin of Species in 1859.
He died at Down House, Kent, on 19 April 1882.
Career highlights
1831HMS Beagle: voyage begins
1835Galápagos: island visit
1842Down House: moves to Kent
1859Origin of Species: published
1871The Descent of Man: published
Did you know?He shares his exact birthday with Abraham Lincoln.
Age at death
73
Years since death
144
Family
Father
Robert Darwin
Mother
Susannah Wedgwood
Spouse
Emma Darwin
Children
Anne Darwin, Charles Waring Darwin, Elizabeth Darwin, Francis Darwin, George Howard Darwin, Henrietta Litchfield, Horace Darwin, Leonard Darwin, Mary Eleanor Darwin, William Erasmus Darwin
Charles Darwin's birthday is February 12. He was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, United Kingdom.
How old was Charles Darwin when he died?
Charles Darwin died on April 19, 1882, aged 73.
Who shares a birthday with Charles Darwin?
Famous people who share Charles Darwin's February 12 birthday include Abraham Lincoln, Pran, Christina Ricci, Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and Anna Pavlova.
