Happy Birthday Lincoln and Darwin

February 12th marked the 200th Birthday of both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin.

It is extremely hard to imagine the modern world without the contributions Darwin and Lincoln have had on modern science and racial equality respectively in our country.

As a scientist, I feel that Darwin's Origin of Species, remains one of the most important scientific observations ever documented in human history. It should be noted, that Darwin's views at the time, were very controversial and that even today, some believe that the theory of evolution is still not proven, hence why it is still called the theory of evolution and the law of evolution.

Darwin's work, in light of the fossil record our planet contains, as well as modern carbon dating experiments that have proven the age of fossilized organisms found, is still not widely accepted.

As an American, I rank Abraham Lincoln as one of our greatest presidents. His feeling that America couldn't be a great nation without racial equality, defines our nation today. Without the Emancipation Proclamation crafted by Lincoln, our country may have never achieved it's standing in the modern world as the land of the free.

Lincoln's bold choice to free the slaves, which was even more controversial than that of Darwin's work, eventually cost him his life. However, I feel Lincoln's dreams have been somewhat realized as our country has continued to heal it's scarred past. The election of our current President, African-American Barack Obama, has helped put some closure on our dirty past that Lincoln desired to end.

Darwin and Lincoln both took extreme risks in expressing their beliefs. I find it very compelling, that even after many decades have passed since their work has been completed, that both of their contributions still impact American society and the world today.

Maybe it is time that we honor Darwin, 200 hundred years after his birth, in calling his work, Darwin's Law of Evolution, much in the same way that 200 years after Lincoln's birth, America has completed his dream of racial equality by electing our first African-American president.