Robert FitzRoy – The Friends of Charles Darwin

13-Jan-1833: The day HMS Beagle nearly sank

HMS Beagle

Charles Darwin’s closest brush with death during the Beagle voyage came on Sunday 13th January 1833, near that most infamous of nautical perils, Cape Horn.

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Robert FitzRoy

Robert FitzRoy

Robert FitzRoy’s name will forever be associated with Charles Darwin’s. The poor man has received something of a bad press over the years. He deserves to be remembered for his many achievements.

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The Dickens Connection

Dickens, FitzRoy and how a tragic loss at sea spurred efforts to forecast storms.

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Book review: ‘Fossils, Finches and Fuegians’ by Richard Keynes

Charles Darwin's Adventures and Discoveries on the Beagle, 1832-1836

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185 years ago today...

On 22nd May, 1826, His Majesty's Ship 'Beagle' set sail from Plymouth on a surveying voyage to South America.

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The Darwin bicentennial oak, 10 years on
Ten years ago today, I planted the Darwin Bicentennial Oak in my garden.
Hello, Azerbaijan!
I am delighted to announce that the Friends of Charles Darwin have their first member from Azerbaijan.
A cat among the pigeons
Could Charles Darwin really have been a moggy murderer?
Maureen Brian, FCD (12 June 1942 – 31 July 2018)
I was sad to learn via Facebook that Maureen Brian died earlier today.
The problem writing a book about Charles Darwin
…there are so damn many of the things already, how do you make your book different?

03-Dec-1831: Darwin’s first night aboard HMS Beagle
Darwin records his experimentations with a hammock.
29-Jan-1839: Charles Darwin marries Emma Wedgwood
On 29th January 1839, after a short courtship and engagement, Charles Darwin married his cousin Emma Wedgwood at St Peter's Church, Maer, Staffordshire.
14-May-1856: Darwin starts writing his ‘big species book’
On 14 May 1856, Charles Darwin recorded in his journal that, on the advice of his friend Charles Lyell, after almost 20 years exploring the subject, he had finally begun writing a ‘sketch’ of his ideas on species.
If humans evolved from monkeys, how come there are still monkeys?
This is a question frequently posed by creationists—and quite often by perfectly rational people…
13-Jan-1833: The day HMS Beagle nearly sank
Charles Darwin’s closest brush with death during the Beagle voyage came on Sunday 13th January 1833, near that most infamous of nautical perils, Cape Horn.