HMS Beagle (pictured), the ship that would take Charles Darwin on his voyage, was launched.

Fertilisation of Orchids, the first book by Charles Darwin which demonstrated the power of natural selection in detail, was published.

Charles Darwin received a manuscript by fellow naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace on natural selection, which encouraged him to publish his own theory of evolution.

British naturalist Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was first published, and sold out its initial print run on the first day.

HMS Beagle departed Plymouth, England, on a voyage to South America that established Charles Darwin (pictured) as a naturalist.