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2009 SESSION

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 884 Commemorating the life of Charles Darwin on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 12, 2009 Agreed to by the Senate, February 19, 2009

 

WHEREAS, Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, on February 12, 1809, and 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of his birth; and 

WHEREAS, Charles Darwin was the English naturalist who realized and demonstrated his theory that all species of life have evolved over time from common ancestors through the process he called natural selection; and

WHEREAS, Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking work, The Origin of Species, was published in 1859, following his extensive observations of plants and animals during a five-year voyage around the world aboard the HMS Beagle; and

WHEREAS, Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man, which applied his theory to human evolution, in 1871; and

WHEREAS, Darwin Day, held across the world on February 12, recognizes the extraordinary life and discoveries of Charles Darwin and celebrates the enormous benefits that scientific knowledge, acquired through human curiosity and ingenuity, has contributed to the advancement of humanity; and

WHEREAS, Darwin Day also celebrates science as an international language accessible to all individuals and societies and provides a global holiday to embrace the study of science and human discovery that transcends nationalities and cultures; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commemorate the life of Charles Darwin on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare copies of this resolution for presentation to the Virginia Academy of Science and the Science Museum of Virginia as an expression, in the spirit of Darwin Day, of the General Assembly’s gratitude to these organizations for their many efforts to advance science and learning in the Commonwealth.