Wallace, Huxley, Hooker and Darwin

Darwin is not the only one who postulated that theory of evolution.

There were three other figures who influenced Darwin.

Darwin doubted himself of his theory of evolution and the natural selection.

Some were called frenemy.

If not for his friendly companions which were only a few Darwin would have not published his monumental work.
He had many critics and enemies and the Church spearheaded the attacks.

The success of science is collaboration, and the lack of it is the Church's contribution.

Alfred Russel Wallace, 14 years younger had postulated a similar geological postulation of species distribution while working in Indonesia. He studied Geology. anthropology, ecology and astrobiology.
He was a surveyor by profession which helped his naturalistic tendency. He briefly taught surveying and map making in Leister.
His friend and traveling companion went to Amazon jungle to study natural selection that was congruent with geological barriers . He met tragedy after tragedy of his brother dying and the shipwreck and losing of his collection insects.
However he came back to England and made a series of publications.
He subsequently went to East Asia (Indonesia) for further studies.

The Wallace Line separating the Australasia from Asia was his creation.
Joseph Dalton Hooker was a botanist and a explorer. He was a good friend of Darwin. He was the director of the Royal Botanical Garden of Kew, following his father who was the director.
Thomas Henry Huxley was a biologist, anthropologist and a comparative anatomist. He was called Darwin's bulldog due to his close adherence to Darwin's theory of evolution. 
In 1996 a dinobird called sinosauropteryx was discovered in South America. Primitive feathers similar to birds were found with the specimen.
The theory of origin of birds from dinosaur was in existence from the 19th century.