Did Wallace really become “the forgotten man” when Darwin published his On the Origin of Species?
Hardly! When Wallace returned to England from his travels in the East in 1862, two and one half years after Darwin’s book was published, his role in the completion of that work was already known to naturalists; by that point, moreover, he had attained an enviable reputation as a collector and observer. His writings on a variety of subjects (in both the natural and social sciences) soon brought him to the attention of a wider public and professional audience. By the early twentieth century (years after Darwin’s death in 1882) he certainly ranked among the world’s most famous naturalists. At the time of his death in 1913, in fact, he may well have been the most famous scientist in the world–I have in my possession copies of contemporary interviews, obituaries, and other accounts that refer to him in the following glowing terms: “England’s greatest living naturalist” (1886); “the acknowledged dean of the world’s scientists” (1902); “[one of the two] most important and significant figures
Related Questions
- When Darwin published his Origin of the Species in 1859, were his most vocal opponents Christian Fundamentalists?
- Did Wallace really become "the forgotten man" when Darwin published his On the Origin of Species?
- How has our understanding of evolution changed since Darwin published The Origin of Species?
