Lincoln/Darwin Bicentenary

It would be difficult to find two men in the 19th Century that had a greater influence on future thought than Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. Both share the date of February 12, 1809 as their birthdate, and this cache is in honor of this most coincidental bicentenary.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was president during the most trying time in the history of the United States: the American Civil War. He was the son of a farmer, and his formal education consisted of about 18 months of schooling. He taught himself law, and practiced for several years in Springfield, Illinois. While a lawyer, he was supportive of the concept of a transcontinental railroad, and served in the State House of Illinois. Though defeated by Stephen Douglas during the Senate race of 1858, he ran against Douglas and won the Presidency of the United States in 1860.

Charles Darwin was the son of a wealthy society doctor. He was a naturalist interested in geology and biology during his school days, and he trained for the clergy. He signed on as the Naturalist for an around-the-world journey as much to be the intellectual companion to the ship’s captain, as to see the world. He collected thousands of specimens on this trip, and through the study of these specimens, and viewing the locations from which these came, formulated the thoughts that would one day be written down in the book, “On the Origin of Species.” Darwin didn’t come up with the Theory of Evolution, nor was he the only one to think of the mechanism by which it is thought to occur, but he was the first to put the Theory into a cogent argument that was based on many years of painstaking work.

This cache can be found by answering questions based on the lives of these men. Latitude will be found by answering questions associated with Lincoln, and longitude will be found by answering questions based on Darwin. After answering the questions, place the numbers associated with each answer in the following formula:

39 AB.CDE
105 VW.XYZ

A.) Lincoln was born in: (2) Lincoln, Nebraska, (3) Hardin County, Kentucky, (4) Springfield, Illinois, (5) Alton, Kentucky

B.) After being shot by John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln died: (6) at the White House, (7) at Ford’s Theatre, (8) at the Peterson House, (9) on 10th Street outside of Ford’s Theatre

C.) The line, “With malice toward none; with charity for all . . .” comes from which of the following of Lincoln’s speeches: (0) the First Inaugural Address, (9) the Gettysburg Address, (4) the “House Divided” Speech, (3) the Second Inaugural Address

D.) Lincoln served in the following armed conflict: (7) the Black Hawk War, (2) the Mexican-American War, (5) the Second Seminole War, (8) the Creek War

E.) Lincoln’s first paying job was: (0) as a carpenter, (2) rowing a flat boat across the Ohio River, (5) as a lawyer, (8) as a surveyor

V.) The ship that Darwin sailed during his voyage was the HMS: (1) Beagle, (2) Beagle II, (3) Beagle III, (4) Beagle IV

W.) The ship’s captain, for whom Darwin was hired to be the intellectual companion, was named: (3) Fitzpatrick, (6) Fitzroy, (0) Fitzsimmons, (4) Fitzsimon

X.) Darwin did NOT visit the following location while on his voyage: (2) Australia, (0) Tierra del Fuego, (6) Patagonia, (8) Christmas Island

Y.) While in the Galapagos Islands, Darwin visited 4 islands and collected many specimens. The following island, which he did not visit during his voyage, is the location of the longest currently running study of evolution: (9) Daphne Major, (3) Isabela, (6) Santiago, (1) San Cristobal

Z.) The mechanism through which Darwin thought evolution occurred was: (0) Genetic Drift, (1) Natural Selection, (4) Mutation, (8) Gene Flow

The cache is a decon container with a log and pencil. Good luck!

Additional Waypoints