feb 12, 1859 - Darwin's Origin of Species

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In contrast to previous theories of biological life on earth that posited that there was uniform evolution of creatures, Darwin’s work suggested that differences among members of a given species allowed it to live, allowing dominant traits to be passed down. He challenged Jean-Baptise Lamark’s idea of continuous adjustment to the environment, suggesting rather a gradual evolution of traits. His work sparked outrage among religious conservatives, accusations of being anti-Christian and eventually sparked the rise of Social Darwinism, used in Europe to justify colonialism.

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