05-Aug: On this day in 1832, in what he described as ‘an eventful day’, Charles Darwin and his HMS Beagle shipmates helped put down an armed insurrection in Argentina. More here… friendsofdarwin.com/articles/dar... #HistSci

05-Aug-1832: Darwin under fire (get used to it, Charles!)

On 5th August 1832, in what he described as ‘an eventful day’, Charles Darwin and his HMS Beagle colleagues helped put down an armed insurrection in Argentina.

friendsofdarwin.com

Here we go. For your Christmas stocking. Bluemoose Books - Hebden to Hollywood . My recollections of the publishing industry and why we started Bluemoose. Plus a few stories and successes along the way. Marvellous.

Music gigs attended so far in 2026: - Sugar Rush (all-female barbershop quartet), Hebden Bridge - LYR (feat. Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage), Hebden Bridge - Paul Weller, Halifax - David Byrne, Halifax Gigs still to come in 2026: - Arab Strap, Leeds - Bob ‘His Bobness’ Dylan, Sheffield

The new Charli XCX album is pretty catchy. All the hep cats are gonna dig it.

New post… richardcarter.com/sidelines/fo...

Fountain pen mod

Plastic fountain pen versus power-tool: what could possibly go wrong?

richardcarter.com

20-Jul: On this day in 1858, Charles Darwin began work on an ‘abstract’ of his planned major work on evolution. The abstract was later given the title ‘On the Origin of Species’. friendsofdarwin.com/articles/dar... #HistSci

20-Jul-1858: Darwin puts pen to paper

Charles Darwin begins work on ‘On the Origin of Species’.

friendsofdarwin.com

I gather it’s the end of the men’s soccer world cup this evening… Just think, an ENTIRE MONTH soccer free until the start of the next season.

David Byrne at the Piece Hall, Halifax this evening. An astonishing show. Sell your puppy to buy tickets.

01-Jul: On this day in 1858, Charles Darwin finally went public with his theory of evolution by means of natural selection, with the publication of back-to-back papers by Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, who had independently arrived at the same idea… friendsofdarwin.com/articles/dar... #HistSci

01-Jul-1858: Darwin goes public

Charles Darwin finally went public with his theory of evolution by means of Natural Selection on 1st July 1858.

friendsofdarwin.com

26 weeks into 2026, the 26 books I’ve read so far this year. (Follow the link below, then click the cover of any book to read my short review.) richardcarter.com/books-2026/

Very smug this evening… Despite the ridiculous heat, managed to write the second drafts of THREE CHAPTERS of my Darwin book today… OK, they were relatively short chapters, but they needed doing—and they’re definitely improved as a result. #HistSci

Today is my last day at Scientific American, which has been sold to LabX media group. For three decades I've led the magazine's coverage of human origins, archaeology, paleontology, animal behavior, ecology, BIRDS. End of an era. Anyway this feels weird to say, but I'm now available for assignments!

New post… richardcarter.com/sidelines/he... #HistSci

Heavenly conjunction

Images of the moon, past and present.

richardcarter.com

Interesting that the Labour Party (correctly) believes the fairest way for its members to vote for a new party leader is by proportional representation, namely the single transferable vote. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3...

As Andy Burnham prepares to journey to Westminster in his long standing quest to close the north south divide, here’s one of my favourite Tony Wilson quotes.

The waxing crescent moon and Venus a few minutes ago.

15-Jun: On this day in 1829, 20-year-old Charles Darwin first had his name published in a book. More here: friendsofdarwin.com/articles/dar... #HistSci

15-Jun-1829: Darwin’s delight

On 15th June 1829, the young Charles Darwin was cited in Stephens’ ‘Illustrations of British Insects’.

friendsofdarwin.com

Damn! David Hockney has died: a tireless experimenter, wonderful artist, and great chain-smoking Yorkshireman. Here are a couple of pieces I wrote after attending local Hockney exhibitions: richardcarter.com/sidelines/ho... richardcarter.com/newsletter/a...

Hockney on Mars

Two David Hockney exhibitions provide a lesson in paying close attention.

richardcarter.com

Apparently, according to the UK Meteorological Office’s latest projections, this month is likely to be the shittiest June since records began.

Happy 17th blog anniversary, @rmathematicus.bsky.social! Keep on blogging! #HistSci thonyc.wordpress.com/2026/06/11/17/

17

The Renaissance Mathematicus has completed yet another orbit around the Sun and is, as of today, seventeen years old. Seventeen years of churning out history of science blog posts to keep myself oc…

thonyc.wordpress.com

10th June in the northern hemisphere and we have just put the heating on.

I’m already fed up of the [Men’s Soccer] World Cup.

‘Blue Moon’, my arse! If anything, it’s slightly red!

31-May: On this day in 1837, Charles Darwin presented his theory of coral reef formation.  #HistSci friendsofdarwin.com/articles/dar...

31-May-1837: Darwin on coral reefs

On 31st May 1837, Charles Darwin presented his theory of coral reef formation.

friendsofdarwin.com

For those of us who half suspect our Journals might err a tad on the boring side, learn from a pro…

Samuel Pepys@samuelpepys.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Home, and after supper did wash my feet, and so to bed.

Ladies and gentlemen (and anyone else), I have FINALLY finished the first draft of the unplanned additional chapter for my book that I mentioned in my latest newsletter (link below)! It involved an awful lot of research and procrastination! Now, where was I…? #HistSci substack.com/@richardcart...

It’s not all cheetahs versus gazelles

Darwin the botanist • UNESCO recognition • Darwin’s address book • Charles Lyell • Leonard Jenyns • punctuated equilibria • what the heck are chins for? • and lots more…

substack.com

Catching up on a blogging backlog… A new post that ought to have gone out in early April! richardcarter.com/sidelines/on...

On the Rocks, April 2026

Some unexpected thrills sitting on what remains of my favourite Anglesey rock.

richardcarter.com

TFW you spend the whole afternoon trying to fix a weird new bug on a section of your website that’s been happily working for years, only to finally work out it was caused by a temporary glitch on a different website and all you needed to do was wait.

Just went to Hebden Bridge Picture House to see ‘The Devil Does Fan-Service’.

19-May: On this day in 1832 came the untimely death of Charles Darwin’s HMS Beagle shipmate Charles Musters (age c.12). Here’s the sad story… friendsofdarwin.com/articles/poo... #HistSci

19-May-1832: The untimely death of ‘Poor little Musters’

On the tragically short life of HMS Beagle’s Volunteer First Class.

friendsofdarwin.com