200th birthday Charles Darwin - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2009

As the founder of modern evolutionary theory Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) is undoubtedly one of the most important scientists of all time. His work profoundly influenced biology and geology and gained great importance for subsequent thinking. About the person: After an average successful school and prematurely aborted study period, the life of the young Charles Darwin should change radically on December 27, 1831: On this day he became a member of a research trip, which he later "by far the most important event in my Life "called. On the "HMS Beagle" under Captain Robert FitzRoy, Darwin traveled and explored the world for five years: the Cape Verde Islands, the Falkland Islands, South America's coasts, the Galapagos Islands, Patagonia, South Africa, Mauritius, etc. On his return, he not only had one Galapagos giant tortoise in the luggage (which, by the way, only died in November 2006 at the age of 176!), But also tons of records and finds that should form the basis of his most important work: "The Origin of Species". This book, published in 1859, was barely published and immediately sold out. Skeptics criticized his theories (until today) as blasphemous, because contrary to the Christian creation story Darwin took the view that the different species were a consequence of adaptations to the habitat ("survival of the fittest") and thus had developed apart. The scientific world, however, quickly recognized the sensational and well-founded findings. Charles Darwin, who later became a member of the Royal Society, published some twenty other works over the years - from studies on coral reefs to carnivorous plants and orchids to the descent of man, his arguably most controversial scientific theory. One thing is certain: His revolutionary insights (and his often caricatured ideas) continue to make Charles Darwin very much present; they are still deeply rooted in public awareness. For example, in 1992 Darwin ranked 16th in a list of the most influential people in history, and in the United Kingdom he was fourth in the "100 Biggest Britons." 200 years after Darwin 's birthday, the theory of evolution for biology, which he founded and has since developed continuously, represents the basic paradigm: through it, all biological subdisciplines, such as zoology, botany, behavioral science, embryology and genetics, are assembled "under one roof" the much cited sentence: "Nothing in biology has any meaning except in the light of evolution." The new special stamp block is a tribute to one of the greatest explorers of all time.