Self-taught co-originator with Charles Darwin of the theory of evolution by natural selection (who many today think should have been solely credited for it had he not sent his manuscript to Darwin first before publishing it). Wallace is also widely recognized as the father of biogeography who gave his name to the 'Wallace Line,' the imaginery line that demarcates the two distinct biological spheres in the Malay Archipelago.
Wallace was born in 1823 in Usk, on the English-Welsh borders. Unlike Darwin, who never had to work a single day in his life to earn a living, Wallace was the son of a down-on-his-luck lawyer who invested badly. By the age of 13 he had had to leave school. After spending some time with a brother in London, Wallace worked alongside another brother surveying the land during a time when England was expanding her networks of canals. While he worked, he self-taught himself, reading in libraries and bookshops that would let him. The direction of his life change when, in 1844, he met H. W. Bates. Bates introduced him to the joy of collecting and studying insects, but more importantly, to the significance of their geography. Four years into their friendship they decided they would turn their hobby into a living. They scrapped together whatever money they could and left for Brazil; England was a booming market for collectors of all things exotic. Once in Brazil, they decided to go different ways, to better cover the grounds. Money began coming in from the agent acting on their behalf back in England. 1n 1852, Wallace decided it was time to head home. The ship, Helen, loaded with all the specimens he had collected since the last dispatch and all his records, however, caught fire a few days into the journey. Though no lives were lost, Wallace came arrived home with practically nothing. A lesser person would have
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