1859
Science
England
Theory of evolution by natural selection
Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species.
Why it mattered
A single mechanism explaining the diversity and relatedness of all life.
Industrial Age
1859
2 recorded milestones at this point in the record.
1859
Energy
United States
Commercial oil drilling
Drake's well at Titusville proved oil could be pumped from depth in quantity.
Why it mattered
Opened the fossil-fuel century.
Sign in to amend this page or add a milestone — every edit is signed and kept in the record.