galapagos
Week 9: PSA
For this week’s primary source assignment, I choose the article on the history of the Galapagos islands as my first primary source http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/5_cool/galapagos/g21_history.html . I first heard of the infamous Galapagos Islands when I was in elementary school, learning about natural selection, finches, and Charles Darwin. After reading this article I learned some of the history prior to Darwin, things I hadn’t heard of before. The Galapagos Islands lie 600 miles west of Ecuador, in the more southern part of the Pacific Ocean right below the equator. The earliest recorded activity on the island happened to be accidental. On March 10, 1535 Fray Tomas de Berlanga stumbled upon the islands sailing form panama. In 1570 the islands were plotted on a map by the name of Isolas de Galapagos, meaning islands of the tortoise due to several tortoise sightings by sailors. The islands later became a popular spot as a food source for long journeys. British buccaneers would use it as resting place after pirating and looting Spanish ships and settlements in South America. The islands had a mystery to them, at times being know as the enchanted islands, many believed they didn’t exist because of the dense fog that would hide the islands. Not until 1835, 300 years after it was first found, did Charles Darwin visit the island. Here was where he founded the idea of natural selection that the species of each island varied because they had to adapt to feeding habits. The Galapagos has a rich history that is really interesting to learn about.
For my second primary source I read the article on a distinguished young man by the name of Joseph Banks http://www.plantexplorers.com/explorers/biographies/banks/joseph-banks-01.htm . Joseph came from an affluent family, but unlike other boys he opted from the average path of a boy of his wealth and instead he wanted to learn. Only 18 when his father died, he inherited a large sum of money but this did not
For this week’s primary source assignment, I choose the article on the history of the Galapagos islands as my first primary source http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/5_cool/galapagos/g21_history.html . I first heard of the infamous Galapagos Islands when I was in elementary school, learning about natural selection, finches, and Charles Darwin. After reading this article I learned some of the history prior to Darwin, things I hadn’t heard of before. The Galapagos Islands lie 600 miles west of Ecuador, in the more southern part of the Pacific Ocean right below the equator. The earliest recorded activity on the island happened to be accidental. On March 10, 1535 Fray Tomas de Berlanga stumbled upon the islands sailing form panama. In 1570 the islands were plotted on a map by the name of Isolas de Galapagos, meaning islands of the tortoise due to several tortoise sightings by sailors. The islands later became a popular spot as a food source for long journeys. British buccaneers would use it as resting place after pirating and looting Spanish ships and settlements in South America. The islands had a mystery to them, at times being know as the enchanted islands, many believed they didn’t exist because of the dense fog that would hide the islands. Not until 1835, 300 years after it was first found, did Charles Darwin visit the island. Here was where he founded the idea of natural selection that the species of each island varied because they had to adapt to feeding habits. The Galapagos has a rich history that is really interesting to learn about.
For my second primary source I read the article on a distinguished young man by the name of Joseph Banks http://www.plantexplorers.com/explorers/biographies/banks/joseph-banks-01.htm . Joseph came from an affluent family, but unlike other boys he opted from the average path of a boy of his wealth and instead he wanted to learn. Only 18 when his father died, he inherited a large sum of money but this did not