Today is the birthday of two of my favorite figures from history, two men who were coincidentally born exactly 200 years ago today. The first is Abraham Lincoln, who, since the time I was little, has always been my favorite president. Yesterday I was listening to Talk of the Nation on NPR, and they had an interesting show about Lincoln and all his complexities. While his personality and deeds aren't as black and white as popular history has made them out to be, this makes him all the more interesting, and he is arguably one of the most important presidents in our nation's history. The same man interviewed on the radio show also made a documentary that aired last night on PBS called Looking for Lincoln, which apparently you can watch online. I haven't watched it yet, but it looks really interesting!
Being a biologist, I'm very excited about the other birthday, that of Charles Darwin. If you are ever looking for a good, interesting read, you can pick up On The Origin of Species. It's interesting to note that Darwin's friend and academic rival, Alfred Russel Wallace, independently began to come up with the same theory of natural selection around the same time as Darwin. So, Darwin was rushed in to publishing On the Origin of Species, and later admitted that it wasn't as detailed as he had hoped it would be. Nevertheless, it's a classic and has had an enormous effect on our understanding of the natural world (paired with the genetic discoveries that were later revealed by Gregor Mendel, it has revolutionized the biological sciences). Darwin's personal life is also very interesting. He was a devoted husband and father and was devastated by the deaths of several of his children. This week is "Darwin Week" at BYU. We were going to go to a lecture on campus tonight which will be followed by the serving of birthday cake--fun!--but other plans came up. Oh well!This is an exhibit that we saw at the Field Museum in Chicago this summer that I thought was really pretty. The line is the last line from On the Origin of Species.
4 comments:
WOOT WOOT! we should throw a party?! haha. Jk. I am fascinated with these figures as well! I think they deserve a party! ...or PResident's Day Sales work too. :)
This month's Smithsonian magazine is about Lincoln and Darwin, and I was so excited when I pulled it out of the mailbox. What a combo!
Ah, the Field Museum! I miss that place! I'm very impressed that BYU would do a Darwin celebration--spreading the academic wings, as it were . . .
BTW, shopping with you yesterday was waaaaayyyy fun! Let's do more :)
I love history! Thanks for sharing!
Post a Comment