Historical eventNovember 241859
Charles Darwin
British naturalist Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species was first published, and sold out its initial print run on the first day.
In context
- When
- Thursday, November 24 1859167 years ago
- Category
- Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Era
- 19th century · 1850s
- Recorded from
- Wikipedia “On this day” feed
Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.
At a glance
Dates: From 1859.
What happened
Charles Robert Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor is now generally accepted and considered a fundamental scientific concept. In a joint presentation with Alfred Russel Wallace, he introduced his scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process he called natural selection,
November 24 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
- 1859Charles Darwin
- 20122012 Dhaka garment factory fire
- 2013Iran
- 20152015 Tunis bombing
- 2015Arish hotel bombing
- 2015Russian Air Force
- 2015Sukhoi Su-24
- 2016Colombia
- 20172017 Sinai mosque attack
- 20222022 Malaysian general election
- 2023Hibiscus Rising
Also in 1859
- September 17San FranciscoDisgruntled with the legal and political structures of the United States, Joshua Norton (pictured) distributed letters to various newspap…
- August 27Edwin DrakeEdwin Drake successfully drilled for oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania, resulting in the Pennsylvania oil rush, the first oil boom in the U…
- June 15San Juan IslandsThe shooting of a pig in the San Juan Islands led to the so-called Pig War over the border between the United States and British North Am…
- June 15Pig War (1859)Ambiguity in the Oregon Treaty leads to the "Northwestern Boundary Dispute" between American and British/Canadian settlers.
- November 15Evangelos ZappasSponsored by Greek businessman Evangelos Zappas, the first modern revival of the Olympic Games took place in Athens.
- March 2Great Slave AuctionThe Great Slave Auction, the largest single sale of slaves in U.S. history, with more than 400 people sold, began in Georgia.
- September 1Carrington EventA powerful solar flare caused a coronal mass ejection that struck Earth a few hours later, generating the most intense geomagnetic storm…
- February 16Musical noteThe French government passed a law setting the musical note A4 to a frequency of 435 hertz, in the first attempt to standardize concert p…
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“Charles Darwin”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/charles-darwin-1859-november-24, accessed October 27, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about this entry
When did Charles Darwin happen?
November 24 1859 — 167 years ago, on a Thursday.
Where does this text come from?
Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.
How do I cite this page?
Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.
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