Charles Darwin: A Five-Year Voyage, Some Small Birds… and an Idea That Changed Biology

His father thought he would be a disgrace to the family.

He spent five years at sea, sick most of the time.

Then, on some small islands, he noticed something strange about the birds.

What did it mean?

This is the story of Charles Darwin.

Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.

Voyage. A voyage is a long journey, especially by sea.

The voyage lasted almost five years.

Species. A species is a group of animals or plants of the same kind.

The word is the same in the singular and the plural.

Many of the birds were different species.

Beak. A beak is the hard, pointed mouth of a bird.

Each finch had a different beak for different food.

Island. An island is a piece of land with water all around it.

On each island, the birds were a little different.

Evolution. Evolution is the slow change of living things over a very long time.

His book explained evolution.

Now, one pattern: the past passive.

We use it when the action is more important than the person who did it.

Someone published his book in 1859.

His book was published in 1859.

Ready? Let's begin.

Charles Darwin was born in England in 1809, on the same day as Abraham Lincoln.

As a boy, he collected everything: shells, stones and beetles.

But he was not a good student, and his father was worried.

His father said he cared only about shooting, dogs and catching rats.

He was sent to study medicine, but he hated it.

At Cambridge, he collected beetles instead.

Once, he put a beetle in his mouth to catch another one!

In 1831, when he was twenty-two, he was invited to join a small ship called the Beagle.

It was going around the world.

The voyage was planned for two years.

It lasted almost five.

He was seasick for much of the voyage.

But on land, he explored jungles, mountains and deserts.

Thousands of rocks, plants and animals were collected and sent home to England.

In 1835, the ship reached the Galápagos Islands.

There were giant tortoises, and he even rode on their backs!

Then he noticed something strange.

On each island, the birds were a little different.

Why? Back in London, the birds were studied by an expert.

Many of the birds were different species.

Each finch had a different beak for different food.

Darwin had a huge idea: living things slowly change over time.

This is called evolution.

He worked on his idea for twenty years.

Then another scientist wrote to him with the same idea!

So in 1859, his book was published.

His book explained evolution.

All the first copies were sold on the first day.

Many people were angry, but his idea changed biology forever.

He died in 1882, and he was buried in Westminster Abbey, near Isaac Newton.

Let's review. The voyage lasted almost five years.

Many of the birds were different species.

Each finch had a different beak for different food.

On each island, the birds were a little different.

His book explained evolution.

And remember: his book was published in 1859.

Darwin's story teaches us: look closely, and keep asking why.

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