Charles Darwin 1809 - 1882

Charles Darwin was born on 12 February 1809 and became one of the most influential men in world history. He qualified as a clergyman in Cambridge but did not take Holy Orders after graduating; his life was to take an entirely different course.

He declared himself as ‘born a naturalist’ and when he was invited to survey the southern coasts of South America aboard HMS Beagle in 1831, he recognised it as ‘the most important event of my life’. The journey took almost five years and he collected huge numbers of specimens, noting similarities as well as distinct differences amongst species depending on their territory. Many more years of research led, in 1859, to the publication of On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection. Flying in the face of common wisdom as well as religious convention, Darwin’s theory brought respect and ridicule in equal measure but was to change the scientific world forever. Darwin died on 19 April 1882 and was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey.

Robert Burns 1759 - 1796

Robert Burns was a passionate poet and lyricist as well as a witty satirist of his religious and political peers. He was born on 25 January 1759 in a humble cottage built by his father, a struggling farmer, in Alloway, Ayrshire. Celebrated in works such as Tam O’Shanter, The Cotter’s Saturday Night and Ye Banks and Braes o’ Bonnie Doon, it remained a constant source of inspiration to Burns throughout his life as did the Scottish folk songs and legends taught him by his mother.

He published his first collection of poems in 1786. Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect was printed in Kilmarnock and received such acclaim that Burns was immediately shot to fame. Although his poetry did not bring him financial security, he remained a prolific writer. Thus when he died on 21 July 1796, he left a wonderful legacy of joyous songs and poems that, in celebrating humanity, touched the hearts and minds of people the world over. His most famous work is perhaps Auld Lang Syne, a song celebrating friendship and sung every year on New Year’s Eve.

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* - information and images courtesy of the Royal Mint