By Lauren Fink
Two years ago, University of Cincinnati students and faculty celebrated the sesquicentennial anniversary of Charles Robert Darwin’s seminal work, On the Origin of Species. The celebration was a collaborative community educational program for greater Cincinnati that included not only UC but also Xavier, NKU, Mt. Saint Joseph, and Thomas More College, as well as the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Now, the Archives and Rare Books Library holds the collection documenting this unique celebration’s planning and realization.
On the Origin of Species, published November 24th, 1859, was a groundbreaking work that posited concepts of evolution, natural selection, and common descent. Much of the research presented in the text comes from Darwin’s HMS Beagle expeditions and is readable by both scientists and non-scientists. Widespread interest in Darwin’s work has ensued since its publication, leading to religious debates about creationism vs. evolution that, two centuries later, still continue. This debate, among others, like whether Darwin withheld publication of Origin for 20 years (his basic theory was developed in 1838) intentionally or circumstantially, was discussed at the Darwin Sesquicentennial. Continue reading →
Two new images have been added to our Bearcat exhibit. The photographs, taken by ARB Student Assistant Lauren Fink, depict the Bearcat making a stand around campus. The first is one of two statues guarding the Clifton Avenue entrance to McMicken Hall. Just find Mick and Mack and look up to see these fellows dutifully scanning the horizon. The second is a large inflatable bearcat currently holding ground in the UC Bookstore. He stands confidently and proudly welcoming customers to the Bookstore’s upper level.
