Charles Darwin Charles Darwin, a British naturalist, was born in England in 1809. After receiving his degree, Darwin accepted an invitation to serve as an unpaid naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle, which explored the Pacific Coast of South America, the Galapagos Islands, and many other places during its five years at sea. Darwin is best known for his famous book, "Origin of the Species" in which he outlined his theory of evolution - that all life on Earth developed gradually over millions of years from a few common ancestors. This book became very controversial because it challenged the beliefs of how life on Earth was created. In later years, Darwin became quite ill with fatigue and intestinal disease that he may have caught during his earlier travels.