Chestnut Hill College Professor's Book Reveals Two Historical Icons Share More Then Just a Birthday

Dec. 19, 2008 - PRLog -- Nearly 200 years ago, two of the most influential men in history were born on the same day—Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. Although both men are seen as revolutionaries in their fields, they are never viewed as having much more in common than a birthday…until now.

David Contosta, a renowned author and history professor at Chestnut Hill College, devoted six years to unlocking the numerous parallels and intersections in their lives. The result is the groundbreaking new book: Rebel Giants: The Revolutionary Lives of Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin (April 2008, Prometheus).

The inspiration for this distinctive fusion of history and biography began half a dozen years ago when Contosta opened a new biography of Charles Darwin. “I did a double take on discovering that Darwin had been born on February 12, 1809, the exact same day in the exact same year as Abraham Lincoln," he said. “I couldn’t help but ruminate on this coincidence. I began asking myself if these two revolutionary figures shared anything else in common.”

Contosta was soon astounded to discover that despite obvious differences — one born to a poorly educated, impoverished family on the American frontier, the other to a wealthy and prominent English family; one largely self-taught, the other with a degree from Cambridge; one a politician seeking the crowd’s approval, the other a reclusive scientist—“there are striking similarities between these seemingly disparate individuals.”  


According to Contosta, both Lincoln and Darwin:
•   Lost their mothers in childhood and later lost beloved children at young ages.
•   Had strained relations with their fathers.
•   Went through years of searching for a direction to their lives.
•   Struggled with religious doubt.
•   Were latter-day sons of the Enlightenment who elevated reason over religious revelation.
•   Suffered from severe bouts of depression.
•   Were ambitious as well as patient, with sure and steady mental power rather than quick minds.


Contosta makes a compelling case that by studying the similarities (along with the differences) between these two giants of history we are able to understand each man better than by examining their lives in isolation. This new approach also affords many insights into the factors that impel special individuals to lead great paradigm shifts.

About the Author:
David Contosta is the author of 15 books, as well as numerous articles and reviews. His new book, Rebel Giants, continues his tradition of defying a narrow specialty. His writings include biographies of Henry Adams, studies of higher education, orphanages, families, urban and suburban history, architecture and landscape, urban parks, historic preservation, and a variety of topics in social, cultural, and intellectual history. One of his titles, Frontier Town to Edge City, was adapted for Public Television and broadcast as Seeds of Americana during 2001 and 2002.

     Contosta lives in the Philadelphia area in an old rectory in the village of Plymouth Meeting, which was founded by English Quakers in the late 1600s. When not writing, teaching classes at nearby Chestnut Hill College, or speaking to civic and professional groups, he can be found hiking in the woods, tending his vegetable garden, taking architectural and landscape photographs, or enjoying the company of his three daughters and two sons, along with a wide circle of friends. He also serves on the boards of his local library and historical society.

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Chestnut Hill College, a four-year coed Catholic college in the Ignatian tradition, offers a traditional liberal arts undergraduate program as well as accelerated undergraduate degrees, master’s and doctoral programs.