director of the Cabinet of Natural History in Manneheim and was the person who described the pterosaur which Cuvier later recognised as a flying reptile. He defended the Manneheim collection against destruction during the French revolution and some years later had it all transferred to Munich.
Colonna, Fabio (1567–1640).A naturalist and botanist, he was proficient in both Greek and Latin before attending the University of Naples where he graduated in law in 1589. Unable to practice law due to epilepsy, he turned his attention to natural history and botany. During the period 1606–1616, he studied fossils. He corresponded with Galileo and he invented a stringed instrument, the pentecontachordon, which had 50 strings.
Conybeare, William (1787–1857).Born in London and educated at Westminster School and in 1805 went to Christ Church, Oxford, studying classics and mathematics. Upon graduating he became a curate at various sites, culminating in the position of dean of Llandaff. His interest in geology continued throughout his life and was the subject of his election to FRS. He married once and had several children.
Cope, Edward Drinker (1840–1897).Although well educated, Cope did not excel at school. His father installed him as a farmer, but he preferred a scientific career and attended University of Pennsylvania where he studied biological subjects. During the civil war of North America, Cope travelled in Europe, returning to Philadelphia in 1864, where he married Annie Pim in 1865. They had one daughter, Julia. Being involved with antagonistic competition with Othniel Marsh, Cope gradually lost much of his money, although he was never bankrupt.
Courtney‐Latimer, Marjorie (1907–2004).Born in East London, in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Courtney‐Latimer started training as a nurse, but gave up to take a job at East London Museum, South Africa, where she stayed for her entire career.
Crichton, Michael (1942–2008).Born in Chicago and brought up in New York, he attended Harvard and graduated in biological anthropology. During this time he was already writing fiction. He attended Harvard Medical School and graduated in 1969, although he never practised medicine as his expressed intention had always been to become a writer and by this time had been published many times, not always under his own name. He was married many times – Joan Radam (1965–1970), Kathy St Johns (1978–1980), Suzanne Childs (1981–1983), Anne‐Marie Martin (1987–2003) and Sherri Alexander who he married in 2005.
Cuvier, Georges (1769–1832).Cuvier was born in Montbeliard, the son of a soldier. He was educated in Stuttgart, originally for the Ministry, but a period as tutor to a family in Normandy confirmed his interest in natural history. Frome 1795 he taught in Paris at the Museum of Natural History. He became Baron Cuvier in 1831 and in 1832 became Minister of the Interior. His work in natural history helped to extend and establish the work of Linnaeus with the addition of the phylum to taxonomy. He was the first to classify fossil mammals and reptiles. He is probably best known for his skill in comparative anatomy, being able to relate organisms by their structure and in being able to reconstruct an animal from only a few key bones.
Daguerre, Louis (1787–1851).Daguerre was born in France and started work as an apprentice to Pierre Prevost, a noted painter of panoramas. Daguerre joined Niepce, who had a basic method of photography, in 1829 and went on to develop the system after Niepce died, turning it into the daguerreotype. In exchange for a lifetime pension Daguerre sold the technique to the French government who then published the method, thereby making it generally available. Daguerre has his name inscribed as 1 of 72, on the base of the Eiffel Tower.
Dart, Raymond Arthur (1893–1988).Born in Brisbane, he was the fifth of nine children. He originally went to the University of Queensland as the first intake at the new institution. He graduated in 1914 and the went on to qualify in medicine at University of Sydney in 1917 he served in the army before moving to the University of Witwatersrand in 1922 where he was professor of anatomy. In 1921 he married Dora Tyree from Massachusetts, divorcing in 1934. In 1936 he married Marjorie Frew, librarian at Witswatersrand University, they had two children.
Darwin, Charles Robert (1809–1882).Born and educated in Shrewsbury, he is most famous for originating the theory of evolution by natural selection. He studied medicine at Edinburgh University during 1825–1827, but then went to Cambridge in 1828 intending to study for the church. It was here he started his studies in natural history in earnest. He travelled aboard HMS Beagle between 1831 and 1836 gaining many samples and writing extensively on his return on biology and geology. In 1839 he married his cousin Emma Wedgewood, moving to Downe in Kent in 1842. The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published in 1859. The Darwin Building of University College, Gower Street, London, is built on the site of Darwin's London house.
Darwin, Erasmus (1731–1802).Born near Newark and studying both at Cambridge and Edinburgh, he was a popular and skilled physician, originally in Lichfield. He was married twice and settled in Derby, where he founded a philosophical society. He was grandfather of Charles Darwin via his first wife.
da Vinci, Leonardo (1452–1519).He was born at Vinci in Tuscany, out of wedlock. His early years were spent with his mother and then with his father. This complicated life resulted in Leonardo having 12 half siblings. Little detail is known of his early life, even though he is regarded as one of the greatest polymaths to have lived and interest in his life and work has never diminished. His early education was spent as an apprentice to a Florentine artist. His fame broadly lies with his artwork, although he worked in many areas of science and engineering. His scientific studies were empirical and his explanations of phenomena less rigorous than accurate, having little use for mathematics. He was famous when he was alive and his fame has never diminished.
Dawkins, Richard (1941–).Born in Kenya, Dawkins moved to a family farm in the UK when he was eight years old. He went to Oundle Schooland Balliol College, Oxford, graduating in 1962. Working in California for a number of years, Dawkins returned to Oxford and from 1995 to 2008 was Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science. He has been married three times, Marian Stamp 1967, divorced 1984. Eve Barham, 1984, divorced after the birth of their daughter. Lalla Ward, 1992, separated 2016.
Dawson, Charles (1864–1916).Born in Lancashire, he was the eldest of three sons. The family moved to Sussex when he was young. He became lawyer, like his father, with his collecting being a hobby. His premature death was due to septicaemia.
Defoe, Daniel (1660–1731).Originally Daniel Foe, he was born in London of Presbyterian Dissenter parents and educated locally before being educated at a boarding school in Surrey. He was married for 50 years and had eight children. He worked as a merchant for any years and was also embroiled in politics, narrowly avoiding prosecution after the ill‐fated Monmouth rebellion of 1685. In 1703 he was held in a pillory for three days and then taken to Newgate Prison, finally being released. He wrote many satirical and political pamphlets and many tracts which are amongst the very first examples of journalism, although he is now primarily remembered for his full‐length books. He is buried in Islington, London.
De La Beche, Henry Thomas (1796–1855).Born in London, he was brought up by his mother in Lyme Regis on the early death of his father. He was a friend of Mary Anning and an avid collector of fossils. He joined the Geological Society, being President in the season 1848/1849. In 1835 he was appointed director of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. He was elected FRS in 1819 and knighted in 1848. He founded the Geological Museum and the Royal School of Mines.
de Maillet, Benoit (1656–1738).de Maillet was born into a noble family of Catholics where he received a classical education, although he did not attend university. He travelled widely during his life which allowed him to indulge his interest in geology and natural history. His career was as a diplomat, being French Consul General in Cairo where he studied the Pyramids, then went to Tuscanny and finally in 1715 to the Levant, that ill‐defined area of the east Mediterranean as far as Syria. From 1722 he produced manuscripts which would result in his seminal work Telliamed, his name spelt backwards. This was published in 1748, after his death.
Democritus (c. 460–370 BCE).Born in Abdera in Thrace, he was a prolific author on many different subjects, although the only known works that survived were fragments on ethics. He developed the atomistic theory of Leucippus and was a considerable influence on his contemporaries. Karl Marx chose Democritus as the subject for his PhD thesis.
Descartes, Rene (1596–1650).He was born in a small town near Tours, his home town now taking the name Haye‐Descartes. He was educated at a Jesuit College between 1604 and 1614. With enough of an inheritance to make him independent, he spent his life travelling. He was a serving soldier in Holland and Hungary for many years, leaving in 1621 and later settled in Holland for 20 years. He was persuaded to become tutor to Queen Christina of Sweden, but within five months he had contracted a lung complaint and died.
Disraeli,
