In the late 19th century, a heated scientific debate unfolded, pitting two giants of science against one another: William Thomson, better known as Lord Kelvin, a world-renowned physicist and mathematician and Charles Darwin, the father of the theory of evolution. The debate itself centered on the question of Earth’s age and highlighted the tension between scientific disciplines, the disputes among religious denominations in Europe and the developing nature of scientific understanding. 1 View gallery Earth ( Photo: NASA ) In pre-19th century Europe, it was widely believed that the world was as old as recorded human history, with the Earth's age estimated to be around 6,000 years.
The person who brought the question of Earth’s age back into the scientific spotlight was Irish Archbishop James Ussher. In 1650 Ussher published a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis, in which he calculated Earth’s age based on the genealogies described in the text. According to his calculations, the world was created in 4004 BC.
Not satisfied with this level of precision, he even specified that creation took place on October 27th, at precisely six o’clock in the evening. While today such a claim would be met with a mild chuckle, Ussher’s conclusion was far from arbitrary - it was based on quite extensive historical research, though based on flawed assumptions. Throughout history, various scientists have attempted to estimate Earth's age using a range of creative (and incorrect) m.