On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, a groundbreaking scientific work by British naturalist Charles Darwin, was published in England on November 24, 1859.. Darwin’s theory argued that organisms gradually evolve through a process he called “natural selection.” In natural selection, organisms with genetic variations that suit their environment tend to propagate more descendants than organisms of the same species that lack the variation, thus influencing the overall genetic makeup of the species. Most scientists quickly embraced the theory that solved so many puzzles of biological science, but orthodox Christians condemned the work as heresy. Controversy over Darwin’s ideas deepened with the publication of The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (1871), in which he presented evidence of man’s evolution from apes. Find Charles Darwin at the library, on Hoopla and in Overdrive. Find information on creationism at the library and on hoopla.

Mordicai Gerstein,  artist, writer, and film director, best known for illustrating and writing children’s books, was born in Los Angeles, CA on Movember 24, 1935. Gerstein won the 2004 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (Roaring Brook Press, 2003), which he also wrote. Created in response to the September 11 attacks, it features the story of Philippe Petit’s unauthorized high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on August 7, 1974. Gerstein directed four holiday specials for NBC TV in the late 1970s and early 1980s based on the Berenstain Bears book series, the most notable being The Berenstain Bears’ Christmas Tree, which premiered on December 3, 1979. Find Mordicai Gerstein at the library.

Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett, an American-English writer of plays and prose fiction, was born in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, England on November 24, 1849. She is best known for the three children’s novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (published in 1885–1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911). Find Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett at the library and on hoopla.