He returned to Falmouth, England, aboard the HMS Beagle, on this day.

The findings on this expedition formed the foundation for his, at the time, controversial work The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, published in 1859.

During the 5 year expedition he visited the South Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Brazil, the Galapagos Islands and New Zealand were all on the list of his destinations.

Creationists criticized Darwin's work as it went against their bible teachings.