Charles Darwin was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1839. Election to the fellowship recognised his achievements as a naturalist, including observations and collections made during the voyage of HMS Beagle, which had ended in 1836.
The Royal Society, founded in 1660, is Britain’s national academy of sciences. Darwin’s election came before publication of On the Origin of Species and reflected his growing reputation within Victorian scientific circles. He later became one of the nineteenth century’s most influential scientists.
A common mix-up is 1859, the year On the Origin of Species was published. Another important date is 1837, when Darwin began developing his ideas about the transmutation of species in his private notebooks. His 1839 election therefore predates both the public release of his evolutionary theory and the book that made him famous.