Gregor Mendel presented his findings to the Natural History Society of Brno in 1865. He delivered the work in two lectures, held on February 8 and March 8, before the society then known by its German name, the Naturforschender Verein in Brünn.
The lectures summarized Mendel’s years of controlled breeding experiments with garden peas. By tracking traits such as seed color, seed shape, flower color, and plant height, he identified consistent numerical patterns in how characteristics passed from parents to offspring. His statistical approach was unusual for biological research at the time.
The year 1865 is sometimes confused with 1866 because Mendel’s written paper, “Experiments on Plant Hybridization,” was published in the society’s proceedings the following year. The presentations came first; the printed publication followed in 1866. Mendel’s work was largely overlooked until scientists rediscovered it around 1900, helping establish him as a founder of modern genetics.