Charles Darwin is commonly cited as the person who “discovered” evolution. But, the historical record shows that roughly seventy different individuals published work on the topic of evolution between 1748 and 1859, the year that Darwin published On the Origin of Species. These early thinkers, now almost entirely forgotten, included biologists, geologists, horticulturists, physicians, clergymen, atheists, philosophers, teachers, and poets. On March 3 at 6 pm in the Geological Lecture Hall of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 24 Oxford Street in Cambridge, William Friedman, Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Director of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, will discuss the ideas of these pre-Darwinian evolutionists, place Darwin in a broader historical context, and examine the nature of scientific discovery and attribution.

Presented by the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, as part of the Evolution Matters Lecture Series . Free and open to the public. Series supported by a generous gift from Drs. Herman and Joan Suit. This event will be livestreamed on the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture (HMSC) Facebook page. A recording of this program will be available on the HMSC Lecture Videos page approximately three weeks after the lecture.