Image via Wikipedia.com- Photograph of Charles Darwin by Maull and Polyblank for the Literary and Scientific Portrait Club (1855)

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The Stinky Side of a Genius- Charles Darwin’s Infamous Smelly Feet

The father of evolutionary theory apparently had an odor problem

Andrew Martin
3 min readJul 20, 2023

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Charles Darwin is remembered as a great scientific mind. The naturalist was the father of evolutionary biology, and his theory of evolution quite literally helped shape how we think about humanity, where we came from and where we are going to this day. Despite his impressive insight into the human condition, he was not a perfect person. In particular, he suffered from smelly feet, especially when he was younger, as outlined by letters he wrote to his sister and friends.

Born in Shropshire, England in 1809, Darwin became a naturalist whose fame came from his theory of evolution due to natural selection — survival of the fittest. His idea that animals and human beings had common ties in their origins was considered shocking and sacrilegious to many in the religious world. However, over the years, while some still embrace spiritual explanations, his theories have become accepted and established science.

A problem that has afflicted many through the years and is quite likely part of evolution is smelly feet. There are few things as funky as fragrant tootsies, and unfortunately Darwin was apparently someone who could not avoid this issue.

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Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin

Written by Andrew Martin

Dabbler in soccer, history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .

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