You of course know all about the estimable Charlie Darwin, but what, if anything do you know of his exceptionally bold and largely unsung contemporary, British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace? Yeah. Well, he was a fine and modest chap with a sharp mind and adventurous spirit, and, you know, also discovered natural selection. No big deal.
Wallace was one of the first to legitimately write about ecology and early concepts of conservation, and in his free time he supported women’s suffrage. In short, he was a kind of freethinking dreamboat.
Last November, in honor of the centennial of his death, The New York Times posted Flora Lichtmanis and Sharon Shattuck’s excellent animated tribute to the man, The Animated Life of A.R. Wallace. If I can’t actually be Wallace (or the modern-day lady equivalent) I’d love to at least tell stories like his in such a poignant, whimsical, and visual way. Well done, ladies.
Peep this superior display of creative, informative artistry and fine science storytelling of fantastic gaudy things here:
