is the 200th anniversary of the births of both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin, something you should only be unaware of if you do not read political, historical, or science news. This whole year is a fest for Darwin; 2009 is also the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of the Species. Funny that these two great men should be born on the same day, eh? So anyway, the Americans and the Brits get to celebrate their native-born sons. One was a statesman who steered the country through a bitter civil war until his assassination in 1865; the other was a naturalist who brought about a revolution in science with his theory of evolution contributing greatly to our understanding of the world and how it works, despite the naysayers.
By the way, did you know Darwin was from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, the setting of the Brother Cadfael mysteries of Ellis Peters (the pseudonym for Edith Pargeter)?
I also find it amusing that many places are claiming Lincoln as their own here in the States. Illinois is known as the Land of Lincoln, but let's not forget he was born here in Kentucky, the first president born outside of the original 13 colonies (Kentucky was the 15th state, after Vermont. It was originally part of Virginia.)
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