Evolution Day is a celebration to commemorate the anniversary of the initial publication of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin on 24 November 1859.

[1][2][3][4] Such celebrations have been held for over a century, but the specific term "Evolution Day" for the anniversary appears to be a neologism which was coined prior to 1997.

[1] By highlighting Darwin's contributions to science, the day's events are used to educate about evolutionary biology.

At Cambridge, more than 400 scientists and dignitaries from 167 countries met in a widely reported event of public interest to honour Darwin's contributions and discuss the latest discoveries and ideas related to evolution,[8] the New York Academy of Sciences held a celebration at the American Museum of Natural History,[9] and the Royal Society of New Zealand held an event with "a very large attendance".

[10] The Darwin Centennial Celebration (1959) had a major, well publicised event from 24–28 November at the University of Chicago.