Darwin Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury England at about the same hour as Abraham Lincoln. He was born to a successful family, his father was a doctor and his grandfather was a famous biologist. Darwin was not a great student and he decided to become a clergy so he transferred to Cambridge University. Instead of becoming cleargy Darwin decided to study geology. After school Darwin became naturalist on board the royal navy …showed first 75 words of 1801 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1801 total…ill health over the years. Many theories have been put forth as to the nature of his illness. One that is widely held is that he suffered from Chagas' disease, a tropical ailment that affects the nervous system, as the result of a bite he got in Brazil. Other theories hold that the illness was essentially psychosomatic, with a wide range of possible causes. He died at the age of 73 at Down House on April 19, 1882.