Portugal
2009
"Bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth"
Issue Date |
12.02.2009 |
ID |
Michel: 384-3389
Scott: Stanley Gibbons: Yvert:
UPU: PT010.09-PT015.09 Category:
Dw |
Author |
Jose Brandao,
Elisabete Rolo |
Stamps in set |
6 + Block |
Value |
Euro 0.32 x2, 0.68 x2, 0.80 x2,
2.50 x1
|
Size (width x height) |
40x36mm |
Layout |
Sheets of 50 stamps |
Products
|
FDC x2 PP x1 |
Paper |
102 g/m2 |
Perforation |
13 |
Print Technique |
Offset |
Printed by |
Cartor Security Printing |
Quantity |
€0.32 - 330.000 each, €0.68 - 230.000
each, €0.80 - 200.000 each, Block - 60.000 |
Issuing Authority |
CTT Correios de Portugal SA |
The year 2009 marks two fundamental anniversaries in the fields of
biology and modern science:
200
years since the birth of the English naturalist Charles Danwin and 150
years since the publication of his seminal work "On the Origin of
Species". The CTT - Portuguese Post Office
made these
anniversaries with a set of stamps that portray both the scientist
himself and some of the species he studied.
Charles Robert Danwin (1809-82) developed a keen interest in nature
studies
from an early age. Aged 20, he wrote papers on oyster parasites,
published his discoveries on the morphology of coleoptera and made his
mark in geological studies, a domain in which he embraced Charles
Lyell's theory that the earth's crust was slowly being transformed by
continuous processes still visible today.

He was still a young man when he
embarked on his famous five-year voyage
aboard the Beagle (1831-36), during which he explored the geology,
fauna and flora of the places he visited.
The
souvenir sheet features a watercolour by
the artist Conrad Martens, who was also on board, painted on a visit to
Tierra del Fuego.
During his voyage, Darwin recorded the variety of species suited to the
environmental conditions in each location and reflected on the reasons
for such diversity. He formulated his Theory of Natural Selection a few
years later, however it was not until two decades later that he would
write and publish his Theory of the Origin of Species by
diversification from a common origin. Darwin clashed with the ideas on
the immutability of species prevalent at the time, initiating a debate
that still has echoes in society today.
Although
Darwin's theory of the evolution of species (note that Darwin avoided
using the word "evolution") was generally accepted during his lifetime,
the Theory of Natural Selection would not gain recognition until the
beginning of the 20th century. Together with his contemporary, "father
of genetics" Gregor Mendel,
Charles Darwin helped lay the foundations of modern Biology and
provided a scientific framework for the diversity of life on earth.
Evolutionism today is a fundamental basis for the development of modern
science, and alongside biology and the study of animal behaviour, it
has inspired both social and psychological studies and currents of
literary analysis.
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References:
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update 24.11.2017
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