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Indonesia, where Alfred Russel Wallace, sweating through
an attack of malaria, hit on the theory of natural selection.
We were charmed to learn from On This Day that Charles Darwin sailed off on the Beagle on December 27, 1831, and that James Barrie's Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up flew off a London stage for the first time on this day in 1904.
They would seem to have little in common, but the spirit of adventure infused both the fictional character and the real man. Darwin, who like Peter Pan had lost his mother when he was very young, was as insistent as Peter about doing what he wished. Blithely heading off on the Beagle on a journey that would last years, he endured seasickness, fevers, and illness that would have felled most men, and remained indomitably curious about fossils, geological formations, and natural specimens.
Darwin grew up, but he retained a boyish enthusiasm for discovery that sustained him when he returned to Britain and embarked on exhausting researches to obtain evidence for his theory of the adaptability of species and survival of the fittest. In this work he was sustained by many friends and scientists – his circle of boys – and by his family. He was certain he and his theory would face a torrent of criticism, and he and it did, but he faced his critics bravely. Given the controversy that still surrounds his theory, I was surprised to read in his book that he seemed to infer a Creator by speaking of a "primordial form, into which life was first breathed".
Developing the theory of natural selection at the same time as Darwin was Alfred Russel Wallace. His contributions were brilliant, and his adventures were hair-raising, as we describe in this timeline.
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THE KNIGHT
Never a dull moment on the road to Runnymede
Includes how boys became men, chivalry and the Geneva Conventions, aid on your life's quest, and Magna Carta.
YOUR OWN CHOICE
Shall Britain be free?
SOS
INGENIOUS INVENTORS
INNOVATIVE THINKERS
The British scientists and inventors who gave us the modern world are
HERE
 
LIBERTY! THE TIMELINE IS HERE
BRITISH HISTORY
DEFENDING FREEDOM
DEFEATING THE EU SUPERSTATE IS HERE
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CREATIVE BRITS
NEW files on British artists and art are HERE
A FEW IDEAS IN
THEIR HEADS
The virtues and powers that create success are HERE
BRITISH LIFE
We begin with English gardens, sportscars, whisky and laughter
HERE
ABOLISHING SLAVERY
The new file is HERE
HEROES & ADVENTURERS
Meet the cool and daring risk-takers, the curious and resourceful adventurers, the heroic and humorous Brits who risk their lives for great causes HERE
SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS
HERE
Brits invented football (soccer), rugby, cricket, tennis, croquet, badminton, squash, fly-fishing, and golf. Off the playing fields, they created a quintessential style – romantic, adventurous, and equally at home in the country or on the urban runway.
BRITS WORLDWIDE
COMING SOON: A place for your stories, profiles, ideas, and images.
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DAVID ABBOTT MD, MRCP
Over the last decade I have come to realise how much of all I value depends on ideas and traditions nurtured by Brits. I hope you will be inspired by what you find in this blog/website, and that you will help us to make it grow in brilliance and depth by becoming a Friend.
CATHERINE (CAT) GLASS
As an American who is the descendant of Czech, Irish, and English lovers of freedom, I am dedicated to bringing the courage and spirit of Brits at their best to you.
Join the CIRCLE OF FRIENDS HERE
The best of the Brits produced thousands of indispensable inventions, developed wildly popular sports, designed romantic houses and gardens, created astonishing literary masterpieces, lived with style and humour, tackled dangerous missions with daring and ingenuity, and fought with indomitable courage to establish and protect the free world. We aim to describe their superb achievements and extraordinary lives. We celebrate creativity and common sense, fair play and compassion, bravery and self-discipline, rational thought, freedom, faith, and wit.
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Masthead Photo: [email protected]
Contributor Masthead Design: Linda Wettengel
Sportscar Image:
Joe Malchow dartblog.com
Small boy on beach:
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